Defense Minister Ariel Sharon warned last night that Israel will not withdraw from Sinal by the April 25 deadline if there is no agreement with Egypt by then on the exact location of the international boundary.
He told a Herut Party rally in Haifa that it was preferable for Israel to stay put in Sinai than risk a new war with Egypt on an unagreed frontier. He also declared that Israel has reached the limit of the concessions it is prepared to make in return for peace with Egypt. He said the autonomy talks with Egypt in the future must be held either in Cairo, Washington or Jerusalem, not in any other location in Israel as proposed by the Egyptians.
Sharon accused Egypt of violating the Camp David accords and the peace treaty by deploying more troops than it was allowed in Sinai under the terms of those agreements. He boasted that Israel could move back into Sinai within 24 hours. Sharon also said that Israel is continuing to establish new settlements on the West Bank.
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