By NNN-KUNA
Cairo : The Egyptian Presidency spokesman, Ambassador Suleiman Awwad has said that his country will never allow the repetition of what happened on the Gaza-Egyptian borders, saying that Egypt “has the right to protect its borders and sovereignty.”
He said in a statement Sunday following a mini-ministerial meeting chaired by President Hosni Mubarak that Egypt had sent this “stern message” to the delegation of the Hamas movement, during the movement’s recent visit to Cairo, reiterating his country’s firm stance on sparing the country the repetition of what had happened at the borders between Gaza and Egypt.
Awwad said that “Egypt is a respectable and has safe borders where its soldiers do not throw anyone with stones and that no one had provided support and sacrifices to the Arab and Palestinian issues as Egypt has done”.
He noted that Egypt has kept its eyes shut on the storming by groups of Palestinians of its borders and territories “in appreciation of the humanitarian suffering of the people and understanding that this suffering is a direct reaction to the blockade imposed by Israel on the sector.”
Asked whether a solution has been reached on the opening of the crossing, Awwad said Mubarak has been exerting every effort in this regard, explaining that Egypt also was in need for the cooperation of other parties, including Israel “as an occupation force” that is imposing blockades and collective punishment against the Palestinian people.