2024-02-22 06:49:00
Written by Ahmed Juma Thursday, February 22, 2024 08:49 AM
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met yesterday, Wednesday, with his American counterpart, Anthony Blinken, on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the meeting dealt with developments related to the situation in the Gaza Strip, where the Foreign Minister reaffirmed the necessity of a complete ceasefire as the best guarantee for sparing the blood of civilians, reducing the escalation related to the crisis, and starting any serious dialogue regarding the future of dealing with the situation. With the Palestinian issue.
In this regard, the Foreign Minister expressed Egypt’s regret and rejection of the Security Council’s continued inability to explicitly demand a ceasefire as a result of the repeated use of the unjustified American veto.
On the other hand, the Foreign Minister stated to his American counterpart that Egypt is closely monitoring the development of Israeli military operations, and warns of the grave risks resulting from any large-scale attack on the Palestinian Rafah, as this entails the risk of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the presence of approximately one and a quarter million people. One million people live in this narrow strip, which is the only safe area in the Strip.
Shoukry reiterated Egypt’s categorical rejection of any plans or measures that would lead to the displacement of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip, considering that this would practically lead to the liquidation of the Palestinian cause and would also constitute a threat to the national security of neighboring countries and an additional factor of instability in the region.
Minister Shukri stressed the need to exert pressure on the Israeli government in order to fully implement Security Council Resolution No. 2720 to ensure the facilitation of the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and to avoid the obstacles imposed by Israel, which necessitates supporting the mission of the United Nations Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and Reconstruction, and enabling the stipulated mechanism. In the Security Council resolution to operate inside the Gaza Strip.
The official spokesman added that the Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of the role of UNRWA in receiving and distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza, as it is the only agency that has the ability to work efficiently on the ground in light of the current security and humanitarian conditions, calling for a reconsideration of refinancing the agency’s activities as soon as possible. .
The Foreign Ministry spokesman concluded his statements, noting that the two ministers discussed the course of the ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a deal to exchange prisoners and detainees that would allow the implementation of a truce for several weeks, and they agreed to continue coordination during the coming period to support the mediation efforts undertaken by Egypt in this regard.
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