ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />STORY: President Barack Obama expressed support on Wednesday for Egyptian efforts in Cairo to broker a longer-term Gaza ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians and said it was important to make sure that the current temporary 72-hour truce holds.<br/> <br />Speaking after an Africa summit in Washington, Obama called for developing a "formula" that assures Israel that Gaza will no longer be used for launching cross-border Hamas rocket attacks while also helping to ease hardships of Gaza's population, which suffered heavy civilian casualties during the latest conflict.<br/> <br />"We will continue to be trying to work as diligently as we can to move the process forward," Obama told a news conference. He also called for a negotiating role for the mainstream Palestinian Authority leadership, which governs in the West Bank while Islamist Hamas controls the Gaza Strip.
