Egypt likely to send ambassador back to Israel: MENA

It is highly possible that Egypt will soon send its ambassador back to Israel after a four-year vacancy, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported on Tuesday.

Well-informed sources were quoted as saying, "The new spirit in Israeli-Egyptian relations opens the way to a return of the Egyptian ambassador to Tel Aviv."

Cairo recalled its ambassador to Israel in November 2000, accusing the Jewish state of using excessive force to crack down on the Palestinian intifada (uprising) which erupted in September that year.

The Israeli-Egyptian ties are improving in the wake of a visit to Jerusalem last Wednesday by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed AbulGheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.

Furthermore, convicted Israeli spy Azzam Azzam, who was jailed by Egypt on charges of spying for Israel in 1996, was released on Sunday in exchange for six imprisoned Egyptian students in a prisoner swap.

On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said that Israel and Egypt were set to launch a strategic process that would include deploying Egyptian forces at the Philadelphi corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border as well as security cooperation against terror.

Also on Monday, MENA said that Egyptian, US and Israeli officials would gather in Cairo on Dec. 14 to discuss setting up the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) in Egypt, which will hold joint venture textile plants.

Source: Xinhua