WASHINGTON — As they try to work out a joint approach to a Gaza Strip controlled by the militant group Hamas, the United States and Egypt already are parting ways on the key issue of how to control the Palestinian territory's dangerous southwestern border.
U.S. officials are urging Egypt to step up its efforts to halt the illegal flow of militants, arms and cash across its border into Gaza, warning that the seaside strip could become a lawless haven for militants affiliated with such groups as Al Qaeda and Hezbollah.
But Cairo insists that the threat is greatly exaggerated, and dismisses American worries that Gaza could ever become a terrorist magnet, as Afghanistan was under Taliban rule.
"The truth of the matter is that the problem is not nearly as large as the [U.S.] allegations imply, and we're doing quite a bit already," Nabil Fahmy, Egypt's ambassador to the United States, said in an interview.
Fahmy said worries about the infiltration of militants were "nonsense" because border checkpoints were carefully manned, and that the illegal tunnels that lace the border area were not large enough to accommodate a sizable flow of militants.
The border control issue has long been sensitive. For years, Israel has complained that Egypt has not done enough to halt smuggling that has been helping to finance and arm Hamas. Now, however, the issue has gained new importance, as Israel, the United States and European allies try to isolate Hamas and build up the more moderate Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose rump government controls the West Bank.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is playing host to a meeting in Cairo on Monday of Israeli, Jordanian, Egyptian and Palestinian Authority officials to discuss how they will deal with the new order that emerged last week when Hamas forces routed the more secular Fatah movement in Gaza.
American and Israeli officials agree that Egypt has been stepping up its efforts in recent days to halt the traffic. A senior Bush administration official said that the Egyptians "are making more of an effort, and do perceive a definitely increased risk" at the border since the ouster of the Fatah forces.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said the administration's call for Cairo to increase its efforts was "not by way of criticism," noting that the Israelis were not able to completely halt smuggling when they controlled the border.
