(JTA) Matthew E. Berger - The American presence in the Multinational Force and Observers stationed in Sinai - established under the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt - will be significantly reduced from its current strength of 900. Israel and Egypt rejected a proposal by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to reduce the U.S. presence to as few as 26, seeking an American presence that was more than "nominal." According to one American military analyst, "Both Egypt and Israel would have preferred the status quo, but the peace is stable and secure right now, and I don't think either side feels that removing U.S. presence will have a dramatic effect on the ground." The total force numbers 1,900 troops from 11 countries.
2002-12-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive