CAIRO (AFP) - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman have cancelled their scheduled visit to Israel next week, the foreign ministry says.
They had been due to visit on Wednesday to discuss the Jewish state's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip next year.
The decision was taken in a telephone call by Abu Gheit to his Israeli counterpart Sylvain Shalom during the night, in which Shalom reiterated Israel's apology for the accidental killing of three Egyptian policemen by an Israeli tank shell on the border with the Gaza Strip.
"During the telephone conversation, the two officials agreed to fix another date in the first half of December for the visit," the ministry said
The three policemen aged 22 and 23, carrying out their national service, were killed in the Rafah region of Sinai, on the Egyptian side of the border on Wednesday night when they were mistaken for Palestinian militants.
Israel immediately apologised over the incident and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called President Hosni Mubarak to convey his deep regrets. Egypt has demanded an enquiry and called on Israel to take all necessary steps to prevent any such thing happening again.
11/20/2004 - 07:35 GMT - AFP