[Uh-Huh]

Website van Al-Jazeera: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/mi...157388362.html

Egypt offers Gaza ceasefire plan

Egypt has said it was proposing an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza, to be followed by talks on long-term arrangements including an end to the blockade of Gaza.

Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, presented the proposal in a brief statement after talks with Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday.

The proposal made no mention of many of the elements which diplomats said were under discussion, such as an international force to prevent Hamas receiving weapons.

Mubarak did not say what role Hamas would play in the talks he is proposing. Israel and the Europeans who have been active diplomatically do not talk to the group.

Sarkozy said that Mubarak had invited “the Israeli side to come and discuss the matter of border security, without delay, and perhaps in the hours to come."

Sarkozy also said that he had spoken to Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, about Mubarak's initiative and "he will react soon."

"I have very precise elements that allow me to say that an Israeli delegation will meet an Egyptian delegation to discuss the matter of security," Sarkozy said.

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