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Israel calls Egypt envoy over treaty revision talk

16 September 2011 20:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Egyptian ambassador for a talk Friday after Egyptâ€™s prime minister said his countryâ€™s 1979 peace treaty with Israel could be amended, a ministry spokesman said, APA reports quoting Associated Press.

The spokesman, Paul Hirschson, would not give details of the conversation.

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf told Turkish TV on Thursday that the treaty "is not sacred. ... It can be revised."

Sharaf did not elaborate. Egyptian officials have recently been arguing for more Egyptian troops in the Sinai Peninsula, where militant activity is on the rise. Currently, the treaty defines that area of the Sinai along Israelâ€™s border as a demilitarized zone, barring Egyptian troops. Israel has accepted temporary Egyptian deployments there.

The treaty was the first signed between an Arab country and Israel. Jordan followed in 1994.

Israel has been concerned about the fate of the treaty since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February. Mubarak steadfastly upheld the treaty, even though popular sentiment in Egypt is hostile to Israel.

Although the current government in Cairo has voiced its commitment to the treaty, relations have been strained since Mubarakâ€™s ouster.

An Egyptian Foreign Ministry official Israel sought clarification of the prime ministerâ€™s comments about the peace deal. The official reiterated Egyptâ€™s commitment to upholding the treaty as long as Israel does the same. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of ministry rules that bar him from being identified in the press.

Egypt and Israel both receive large amounts of foreign aid from the U.S. The U.S. contributions to Egypt reached $2 billion annually after the treaty was signed.

A Mubarak-era natural gas deal perceived in Egypt as a corrupt transaction that netted Mubarak and his cronies millions of dollars and gave Israel bargain prices has been a target of harsh criticism since his downfall. Israel insists it is paying a fair price for the gas.

Violence last month further soured the atmosphere.

Palestinian militants who infiltrated Israel from Egyptâ€™s Sinai desert killed eight Israelis. Six Egyptian soldiers in Sinai were killed as Israel pursued the attackers, sparking protests in Egypt.

Last week, rioters ransacked the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, forcing the Israeli ambassador, staffers and their families to flee on military planes back home.