Ibrahim Khazen
02 January 2025•Update: 02 January 2025
CAIRO
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell held talks in Cairo on Thursday to discuss the situation in Gaza, Syria, and Sudan.
The discussions addressed ways to strengthen relations between Egypt and the UK and exchanged views on regional and international issues, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Abdelatty highlighted Egypt’s efforts to reach an agreement for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, the ministry said.
He emphasized the "need to deliver humanitarian aid to the strip and to stop Israel’s systematic violations against Palestinians, which contravene all international conventions," it added.
The top Egyptian diplomat also underlined the importance of “achieving a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue and ensuring the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital."
Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, the Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed nearly 45,600 victims, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
As for the Syrian issue, Abdelatty affirmed Egypt's "full support for the Syrian people, the country’s stability, the preservation of its national institutions, and respect for its unity and territorial integrity," the ministry said.
He emphasized the "necessity for the political transition process in Syria to be inclusive, led by a Syrian national ownership without external interference, in a manner that supports Syria's unity and stability with all its components and diversity."
As for Sudan, Abdelatty called for an immediate cease-fire, expediting the delivery of humanitarian aid, and supporting national state institutions.
* Writing by Rania Abu Shamala.
