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France sending helicopter carrier to Gaza coast
01/26/2009Source:
Translation: RusNavy.com
France is sending a helicopter carrier in the neutral waters around the Gaza Strip to stop the smuggling of arms into the Palestinian territory, a news release issued by Elysee Palace says.
“Now we must bolster the current ceasefire, the humanitarian actions, achieve a complete stop to arms smuggling into Gaza, ensure additional opening of the checkpoints, as well as inter-Palestinian accord and reconciliation,” the document says.
To stop arms smuggling, Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered a helicopter carrier into the neutral waters around Gaza “in full cooperation with Egypt and Israel.”
The AFP news agency reports, citing the French General Staff, that in the coming hours the frigate – helicopter carrier Germinal, which is part of the French UN contingent in Lebanon, will be sent into the region.
Sarkozy has also ordered his foreign minister and defense ministry to began discussing with the U.S. and other European partners additional actions to stop the smuggling of arms into Gaza by land and sea.
France has gain called for the opening of the Rafah passage between Gaza and Egypt under the control of EU observers. The news release from the Elysee Palace stresses that UE observers should also be allowed to monitor border crossings between Gaza and Israel.
Israel launched a military operation into Gaza December 27, 2008, which it ended on January 18. The operation resulted in the death of approximately 1,300 Palestinians, most of them civilians. According to Palestinian medical authorities, some 4,500 people sustained serious injuries. Israel reported 13 dead on its side, amongst them 10 troops and 3 civilians. Damage from Israel’s bombings and ground operation has exceeded US $ 1.5 billion. Israel announced that the aim of its actions was to stop the firing of rockets by Hamas into Israel.