Egypt believes the terrorists who attacked an Israeli tour bus near Ismailia on Feb. 4 found haven in Syria. Cairo is demanding their extradition.
The Damascus government is believed to be protecting the perpetrators. As a result, the prospects of an Egyptian-Syrian reconciliation have been set back, according to Smadar Peri, Arab affairs correspondent of Yediot Achronot.
There had been talk of a summit meeting between President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Syrian President Hafez Assad. Now such a summit is no longer mentioned in Egypt, Peri reported.
She quoted an Israeli diplomat in Cairo as saying that “in the aftermath of the attack, Israel is receiving updates” on the Egyptian investigation, but so far the Egyptian government has not published its findings.
The machine-gun and grenade attack on the bus from a passing car killed nine Israelis and two Egyptians, and left 18 Israelis wounded.
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