CAIRO - Egypt said Friday it would remain committed to a peace treaty it signed with Israel in 1979 'so long as the other partner observes its relevant pledges in text and spirit.' The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that its ambassador to Tel Aviv met earlier Friday with Israeli officials who asked for explanations on recent remarks by Egyptian officials about the peace treaty. Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf told a Turkish TV station on Thursday that 'the treaty is open for discussion in a way that will be to the benefit of the region and the cause of fair peace.' Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Rafi Barak requested that Egyptian ambassador Yasser Rida clarify the remarks by Sharaf that the peace treaty could be changed. Barak told Rida that 'under no circumstances' would the treaty, signed in March 1979, be renegotiated, the Israeli YNet news service reported. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in its statement: 'They also expressed hope that the Egyptian side will help in the normal resumption of the Israeli embassy's operation in Cairo.' The Israeli ambassador to Cairo and his staff left Egypt on September 9 after angry Egyptians stormed the embassy. On August 19, Israeli troops killed five Egyptian soldiers near the border, triggering anger and protests in Egypt.
