MOSCOW, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow hailed the Egyptian-Israeli agreement to deploy Egyptian guards along Gaza's southern border, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.
"Moscow views this agreement as an opportune move in line with Israel's withdrawal from Gaza," Mikhail Kamynin said, adding that besides this move it was necessary to resolve the remaining problems, such as the status of an outpost in Rafah and the movement of people and goods to and from the Gaza Strip.
Israel and Egypt signed a protocol Thursday allowing Egyptian guards to protect the southern border of the Gaza Strip along with Palestinians, as the Israelis withdraw their military infrastructure from the area.
The Egyptian contingent is expected to arrive by mid-September, and Israeli troops will withdraw preliminarily by early October.
According to the agreement, the Egyptians will deploy 750 guards with light weapons and a number of helicopters, patrol boats, and sea and land radar systems that have been agreed to.
