Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs visits Egypt

CAIRO – 25 April 2022: The Assistant to Minister of Foreign Affairs for American Affairs, Ambassador Mahy Abdel Latif, received Sunday evening Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lempert.  

The meeting tackled bilateral relations so as Lempert pointed out the rise in trade exchange between both countries, and the flow of American investments into Egypt.

As for regional affairs discussed, they are the Palestinian Cause and efforts deployed to revive the peace process, the developments on the Libyan scene, and the internal situation in Yemen.

With regard to the Palestinian Cause, both parties agreed on continuing work to achieve pacification, with the U.S. side lauding the Egyptian efforts aimed at ensuring stability.

The U.S. delegation equally valued the Egyptian stances that supports the truce in Yemen, and endeavors to achieve a settlement. In turn, the Egyptian diplomats pledged to carry on with all attempts that can help accomplish security and stability in Yemen and all regional countries.  

On April 1, a nationwide two-month truce was agreed between the warring parties in Yemen, which would allow the entry of oil imports into Houthi strongholds and increasing flights from Sanaa airport.

U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg stated that the truce, which is the first of its kind since 2016, can be renewed, if there is congruence among the parties involved. It is noted that the truce began Saturday which marked the first day of the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The ceasefire is expected to relieve Yemenis from suffering for a while, as 80 percent of the population relies on aid amid a collapse of all necessary services, including healthcare.

The deal provides the suspension of all military operations, including cross-border ones, and permitting tankers transporting fuel into Houthi-held Hodeidah port as well as the landing and take-off of commercial flights at Sanaa International Airport "to predetermined destinations in the region," according to Reuters.

A week before the declaration of the truce, Houthis admitted standing behind the drone attacks that targeted Aramco's petroleum products distribution station in Jeddah, causing a fire in two storage tanks with no casualties.

Other major attacks carried out by Houthis earlier in 2022 are the launching of ballistic missiles against both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, so as the Iran-backed group fired two ballistic missiles toward the UAE and a third toward Saudi Arabia's Jazan.