Egypt and EU discuss efforts to stabilize ceasefire in Gaza Strip

Cairo -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held talks on Friday with Christophe Bertaud, the European Union’s Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, to discuss developments regarding the Palestinian issue and efforts to stabilize the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the meeting took place between Abdelatty and Bertaud on the sidelines of the Sir Bani Yas Forum in the United Arab Emirates. The two sides discussed the implementation of the second phase of the comprehensive plan to end the conflict, which includes empowering the National Administration of Gaza, implementing security arrangements, and the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces. The statement noted that the Egyptian foreign minister emphasized the importance of the European role in ensuring that the Israeli occupation adheres to its commitments and guarantees the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid, shelter supplies, and early recovery materials into the Gaza Strip. He also noted that the meeting addressed the situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with Abdelatty stressing the need to halt escalation by the occupation and to support the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). He reaffirmed the importance of enhancing Egyptian-European coordination to revive the political process leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967, lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. (End) A.F.F./A.B.K.