Sarkozy: Halt to weapons smuggling is key to Gaza cease-fire

[Fozzledick]

By Reuters

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday that the key to reaching a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza was the permanent cessation of arms smuggling to the Hamas-ruled coastal territory.

"We must give Israel the guarantee that weapons will not pass through that border. As of that moment, the Israeli army must withdraw from Gaza. Then in a second phase we will talk about reopening the border crossings," Sarkozy told a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris.

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Sarkozy said he was grateful to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom he met on a two-day tour of the Middle East this week, and to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, for putting pressure on Hamas to stop its rocket attacks against Israel.

Syria, along with Iran, is a main backer of Hamas and the group's leader Khaled Meshaal lives in Syria.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1053934.html