JERUSALEM, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday complimented Egypt's new leadership for working to restore law and order in the Sinai Peninsula, saying that Israel should grant the Egyptian military time necessary to root out militant groups operating in the area.
"Egypt is certainly trying to gain control (in Sinai), and we must respect and allow them this experience," Barak told Army Radio.
Barak, however, said Israel has reservations regarding the size of forces and type of weapon systems, including jet fighters and armor, that were recently deployed in Sinai as part of an Egyptian military campaign launched after a militant group last month killed 16 Egyptian security personnel in a raid on a police observation post adjacent to the Israeli border.
Cairo has reportedly began scaling down its operations in recent days, in order to begin negotiating a peaceful solution to the issue with Bedouin tribe leaders in the region.
"If they need to insert forces to combat terrorism, let them. When (the job) is done, those forces have to be pulled out," said Barak.
He said Israel was working to reach "understandings" with Cairo on coordinating its military deployment in the peninsula in accordance with the military addendum in the 1979 peace treaty, which stipulates that Sinai is a demilitarized zone, though some of its clauses allow limited deployment based on operational needs.
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