Egypt appreciates US efforts to achieve peace bet

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Wednesday expressed his country’s appreciation of the US efforts to achieve peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

Shoukry made the remarks during a meeting with a high-profile US delegation led by White House Adviser Jared Kushner, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ahmed Abu Zeid said.

The US delegation, comprising US Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt and Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy Dina Powell, is currently on a tour of the region to probe means of pushing forward the Middle East peace process and resuscitate the Palestinian-Israeli talks.

During the meeting, Shoukry briefed the US delegation on Egypt’s assessment of the political and security situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, pointing to disadvantages that arose from the political stalemate in the Palestinian-Israeli talks and its repercussions on the region’s security and stability, Abu Zeid added.

Also, Egypt’s top diplomat and the US delegation have touched on steps that could be taken to encourage the Palestinian and Israeli sides to resume negotiations, Abu Zeid noted.

Furthermore, Shoukry asserted the importance of setting a clear timeline and agreed-upon references to start the negotiations.

"Reaching a solution to the Palestinian cause could contribute to bringing about stability and ceasing violence in the region," Abu Zeid quoted Shoukry as saying.

Shoukry was keen to inform the US delegation about Egypt’s vision on ways to push forward the peace talks, including the efforts exerted to improve the economic conditions and the standard of living of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Abu Zeid underlined.

At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed to continue coordination between Egypt and the US over the coming period to bring life to the peace process and revive the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

Source : Mena