The United States said on Tuesday it welcomes Egypt's role in the Middle East peace process and hopes Egypt will be of more practical and specific help.

"We have welcomed the Egyptian role in helping the Israelis andthe Palestinians ... We've welcomed Egypt's role in taking more control at the border with Egypt so that Egypt could stop smuggling, tunneling, those kinds of activities," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a briefing.

Boucher said the move by Egypt can lessen the pressure for Israel as well as the pressure on the Palestinian authority.

"We certainly welcomed all these activities that the Egyptians have carried out and look forward to discussing with them even more how they and other people in the region can be of practical and specific help in terms of rebuilding the Palestinian security services," he said.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11 hosted a summit meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas at the Egyptian Red Sea resortof Sharm el-Sheikh. The summit marked the highest level of contact between the two sides in more than four years.

Source: Xinhua