Egypt intelligence chief to Israel after 60th celebrations

CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian intelligence supremo Omar Suleiman will head to Israel after its 60th anniversary celebrations to discuss a truce with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, President Hosni Mubarak told reporters on Sunday.

"Omar Suleiman will head to Israel after the celebrations to discuss the truce with the Israelis," Mubarak said in response to a question during a visit to an industrial complex.

"The visit comes after we agreed with Hamas, the PLO and other Palestinian factions like (Islamic) Jihad," he said.

Israel celebrates 60 years of existence on Thursday.

On Wednesday, 12 Palestinian groups meeting in Cairo agreed to a proposal for a truce with Israel that Egyptian mediators will now try to sell to the Jewish state.

A deal for a six-month period of calm had already been accepted by the Islamist movement Hamas, while Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, from rival Fatah, gave the negotiations unconditional support.

Egypt's intelligence chief has been serving as a go-between in the truce negotiations, as Israel refuses any direct contacts with organisations it considers terror groups.

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