Egyptian FM receives phone call from Anthony Blinken

CAIRO – 26 November 2023:  Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shokry received Sunday a phone call from U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken as they discussed the updates of Gaza crisis and status of the current temporary ceasefire.

Shokry and Blinken tackled the efforts deployed to contain the crisis and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian and rescue aid during the truce, stressing the salience of overcoming any obstacles that may jeopardize the deal.

In that context, the minister underscored the necessity of building on the temporary truce to reach a permanent ceasefire and sustainable delivery of aid to all sections of Gaza Strip in alignment with the provisions of the UN Security Council resolution issued on November 15.

The Egyptian minister briefed the U.S. secretary of state on the outcomes of the contacts made by the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee with the permanent members of the council. In that framework, he underlined their role in ending the war in Gaza and the unprecedented Israeli violations of international law embodied in the targeting of civilians.

The two sides conferred over the draft resolution submitted by Arab and Islamic countries at the UN Security Council to remedy the flaws in the system of aid delivery and that will be discussed on Tuesday. They also agreed on continuous coordination to resolve the crisis, and work towards the two-state solution.  

Minister Shokry will attend the eighth ministerial meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) held in Barcelona on Monday, and the UN Security Council's briefing session scheduled for Tuesday in New York.

Both events are dedicated to discuss the conflict in Gaza Strip. The minister will also meet with his Spanish counterpart within the series of meetings held by the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee to push for a ceasefire and sustainable delivery of aid.

The UN Security Council's session will tackle endorsing the draft resolution submitted by the Arab and Islamic countries to ensure the sufficient and sustainable delivery of aid. The committee will also stress the necessity of the two-state solution, establishing the Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders having as capital Eastern Jerusalem.