GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi telephoned Gaza premier Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday morning to congratulate him on the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr.

Mursi told Haniyeh that Egypt will stand by Gaza, while Haniyeh thanked Egypt for its support to the Palestinian people.

Haniyeh stressed the importance of joint security cooperation with Egypt.

After gunmen killed 16 Egyptian border guards in August, Egypt closed its border with the Gaza Strip and sealed smuggling tunnels that provide a lifeline to the besieged territory.

Haniyeh and his government insist they have not seen proof that Gaza was connected to the attack, and have called for the border to be fully reopened.

(www.maannews.net / 19.08.2012)