Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Saturday that media reports indicating Israel was prepared to allow Egypt to deploy a large number of additional troops in the Sinai Peninsula are not true. The reports that surfaced on Friday claimed Barak had said the deployment – which Israel must sign-off on per terms of the 1979 Camp David Accords – is in Israel’s best interest, allowing the troops to bring some semblance of control to the area routinely described as “lawless.” Barak’s clarification did not reject the idea, but denied an Egyptian request has been received and said if it is, it will be assessed “in the appropriate forums.”