Israel’s General Radio has revealed details of a proposed meeting between the US, Egypt and Israel to discuss the issue of peacekeepers in Sinai, Moheet.com reported on Friday.
According to Israeli security sources, it has been decided to hold such a meeting following America’s request to decrease the number of its soldiers taking part in the international peacekeeping force in the Egyptian peninsula. Egypt, claim the sources, has pledged to offer new guarantees for the security of the peacekeepers.
On Tuesday, the US army announced that it had informed Egypt and Israel officially that it will review its peacekeeping operations in Sinai. It is going to look into the use of remote surveillance technology as an alternative to some of its 700 troops in the territory.
“I do not think that anyone’s talking about a [complete] withdrawal,” said a Pentagon spokesman. However, US Navy Captain Jeff Davis declined to discuss specifics regarding any potential reduction in troop numbers. “I think we are just going to look at the number of people we have there and see if there are functions that can be automated or done through remote monitoring.”