Egypt has requested the immediate resumption of negotiations with Israel over the status of Taba, it was reported in the press here today.
According to the semi-official news daily Al-Ahram, Egyptian Foreign Minister Kamal Hassan Ali has asked Washington, in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, to play an active role in the negotiations over the disputed territory south of Eilat, whose situation Ali is said to have described as critical.
The message reportedly charged that Israeli measures in Taba violated the provisions of a framework concluded last April for resolving the dispute. Preparations for the opening of a large hotel in the area are currently underway.
Ali told reporters last Sunday that he had sent a similar letter to Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir, setting out the Egyptian position on the territorial dispute.
In related developments, Egypt has warned “Sonesta,” the company that will operate the new hotel, that Egypt would consider its operations in Taba a violation of international law, it was reported in the news daily Al-Gomhuriya today. According to the report, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has contacted all international tourist companies and the International Tourism Organization, requesting that they stop all dealings in the disputed are.
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