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Experts mull naval action against Gaza arms smuggling
Copenhagen (AFP) Feb 5, 2009 International experts meeting in Copenhagen mulled a naval operation to combat arms smuggling into Gaza but no decisions were taken, Danish officials said after talks wrapped up Thursday. A naval operation was "one of the tools that might be interesting in this context, but no decision was taken today," a Danish foreign ministry state secretary, Michael Zilmer-Johns, said at the close of the two-day meeting. The focus of the talks was "the legal basis for action to be taken," he added. The meeting centred more on arms trafficking from the sea than the underground tunnels between Egypt and the Palestinian territory, but Zilmer-Johns would not disclose who was smuggling weapons and how. "If we give away our information it will make it easier for those who do the smuggling to avoid our counter-efforts," he said, refusing also to reveal the amount of weapons believed to be smuggled. Experts from nine countries attended the meeting, all invited for their maritime expertise, the Danish foreign ministry said. The nine were Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and the United States. Israel also attended as an observer, while Egyptian and Palestinian experts declined invitations to participate. The talks were called "to compare notes on where we are, what measures can be taken immediately to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza and how we can be more efficient," Zilmer-Johns said. The experts agreed to continue their discussions at a workshop in March in Britain, he said. Asked why they had not broached the issue of smuggling through the underground tunnels, Zilmer-Johns said that ought to be addressed by Gaza's border countries. In a statement, Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said the talks had been "fruitful" and he hoped they would "contribute to a long-term and sustainable ceasefire that would benefit Israel and the civilian population in Gaza." Share This Article With Planet Earth
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