Egypt said on Saturday (December 1) it could see no point in resuming the suspended military talks with Israel on the diseng???gement of forces in the Suez area.

The official government spokesman, Dr. Ahmed Anis, told a press conference in Cairo that Egypt has suspended the talks last Thursday because Israel had been "evasive".

He said it was not yet possible to make a final decision as to whether Egypt would attend the proposed Geneva peace conference, due to open on December 18. Mr. Anis said there was no point in going to Geneva to meet more "Israel evasiveness".

Mr. Anis said the United States and the Soviet Union should put pressure on Israel to respect its signature on the Middle East ceasefire agreement, and to honour its commitments.

Egypt's military spokesman, Major-General Ezzeddin Mokhtar, told the press conference it was always Israel which sparked off the sporadic shooting in the Suez area. He said Egypt had lodged 86 protests against Israel breaches of the ceasefire, since the war ended in late October.

The General listed numerous alleged Israeli violations, and denied Israeli allegations that Egypt had attacked points on the western bank of the canal.