There is no reason to review Egypt's peace treaty with Israel, Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said in an interview with the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper published Wednesday.
Amr said the violent protests that erupted on 9 September at the Israeli Embassy – during which protesters broke into the embassy and hundreds were injured – should be viewed in their proper context as retaliation over an Israeli border raid in August that killed six Egyptian officers.
Egypt issued a statement to emphasize its respect for its obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Amr said. The treaty stipulates that countries should protect diplomatic establishments and foreign diplomats on their territory.
The relationship between Egypt and Israel is governed by their peace treaty, and Egypt upholds its obligations so long as the other party does, he said.
The border raid aroused public fury and many Egyptians thought the government's response was inadequate.
Legal experts have called for a review of the peace treaty signed with Israel in 1979, particularly stipulations that the part of Sinai closest to Israel should have only a limited number of Egyptian security forces.
