He added during a press conference with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that Egypt will not stop any effort to stop the bloodshed of Palestinians until the war in Gaza stops, stressing that Egypt’s position is firm regarding the Salah al-Din axis and the Rafah crossing and that we are committed to the situation that existed before October 7.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister confirmed that there is “identity” in the positions between his country and America regarding the importance of a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages, and the entry of aid. He stressed Egypt’s condemnation of the attack by blowing up Hezbollah’s pagers in Lebanon, warning that such practices could lead to a “regional war.”
Regarding what happened in Lebanon, Abdel-Ati said in response to a journalist’s question about the possibility of Egypt reconsidering its relations with Israel or its role in mediation after the attack in Lebanon: “Egypt’s position is clear and well-known: We are against any unilateral policies that undermine the stability and unity of Lebanon.”
The Egyptian Foreign Minister added: “We stand in solidarity with the Lebanese government and people, and we have condemned and continue to condemn any targeting of Lebanese sovereignty, and any unilateral moves towards escalation are condemned by us.”
Abdel-Ati added: “Such a dangerous escalation could lead to a comprehensive regional war that will leave nothing in this region. Egypt and the United States are concerned with working to prevent escalation and reject such unilateral policies so that we achieve the most important goal and do not distract from it, which is the ceasefire (in Gaza).”
The Egyptian Foreign Minister said: “We agreed and there was a convergence of positions on the urgent need to cease fire in the Gaza Strip, stop the bloodshed of Palestinian civilians, and quickly reach an agreement stipulating the release of all hostages and prisoners and full access to aid.”
In light of the developments taking place in the region, Abdel-Ati said that he stressed with Blinken the “danger of the region slipping into a regional war.”
Regarding the human rights file, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said: “I spoke with Blinken about the national human rights strategy and the efforts we are making, not to please any external party, but for the benefit of the Egyptian people.”
The Egyptian Foreign Minister confirmed that he discussed with Blinken issues related to the situation in Sudan and Libya, in addition to the issue of the “Renaissance Dam,” and said about that: “We talked about the water issue because it is an existential issue for Egypt and it cannot be neglected or compromised, and we talked about the importance of having a binding legal agreement to operate the dam (the Renaissance Dam) and the importance of not harming the interests of the two downstream countries.”
The Egyptian Foreign Minister indicated that he discussed the Horn of Africa file with his American counterpart, stressing the importance of “preserving the unity of the Somali state.”
Abdel-Ati said that he spoke with Blinken about “the importance of clearing the region of all weapons of mass destruction, most notably nuclear weapons,” he said.
Source: Agencies
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2024-09-20 01:29:24