DOHA, Sept 15 (MENA) – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday participated in a video conference meeting on the sidelines of the emergency Arab-Islamic summit that was held in the Qatari capital Doha.
The meeting was held at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, and was attended by the Qatari emir, the Jordanian king, the Saudi foreign minister, the British prime minister, the Canadian prime minister, in addition to the French president, Presidency Spokesman Mohamed el Shennawy said.
The meeting was meant to discuss the latest regional conditions, particularly the developments of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Israeli aggression against Qatar, as well as coordination efforts regarding upcoming relevant UN events, the spokesman added.
President Sisi began his remarks by extending his sincere greetings and thanks to President Macron for inviting him to the meeting, reiterating Egypt’s condemnation of the brutal Israeli assault on the security and sovereignty of the sisterly State of Qatar, which represents a flagrant violation of international law and clearly confirms that Israeli practices have crossed all red lines, the spokesman said.
The aggression against Qatar is part of a series of measures taken by Israel to obstruct reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, which would enable it to proceed with the implementation of its plans in the region, Sisi said.
The Egyptian leader stressed that the Palestinian issue continues to be the central cause in the Arab world, and that comprehensive peace in the region cannot be achieved without a just and sustainable settlement.
In this regard, President Sisi commended the efforts made by Saudi Arabia and France as regards co-chairing the high-level international conference to resolve the Palestinian issue, which was held in New York last July.
The Egyptian president expressed hope that the two-state solution conference, scheduled to be held on September 22, will be a pivotal milestone towards recognizing the State of Palestine.
He also welcomed the UN General Assembly’s endorsement of the New York Declaration on the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders with Al Quds (occupied East Jerusalem) as its capital.
The president expressed thanks to France, Britain and Canada for their intention to announce their recognition of the State of Palestine, underscoring the need to exert efforts to expand the scope of recognition of the Palestinian state, as this would contribute to the implementation of the two-state solution and the achievement of the desired lasting peace in the Middle East.
Sisi also underlined the need to confront all measures aimed at creating an unlivable environment in the Gaza Strip with the aim of displacing the Palestinian people from their land and liquidating the Palestinian cause.
On that score, Sisi stressed Egypt’s absolute rejection of any proposals to displace Palestinians from their land, because such proposals lack any basis and would only threaten the peace that has existed for nearly five decades “in a way that can pose unimaginable risks to all countries of the region”.
The Egyptian president said the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza will result in unprecedented waves of mass displacement and illegal migration to Europe, noting that the starting point for preventing the Palestinians’ displacement is achieving a ceasefire in Gaza. (MENA)
