Sisi discusses ME peace with head of World Jewish Congress

CAIRO – 17 October 2017: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi discussed a number of regional issues, atop of which the peace process in the Middle East, in a meeting with President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder on Tuesday.

The meeting was held in the presence of Head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service Khaled Fawzi and Counselor for the Head of the World Jewish Congress, Tha’er Moqbel, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency.

“The president stressed Egypt’s eagerness to pursue communication with all sects of the American community, in order to enhance and develop common stances to confront regional challenges,” the statement read.

Sisi further pointed out Egypt’s ongoing efforts to reach political solutions for regional crises, underlining a necessity to coordinate with the United States and gather international support, which will contribute to the stability of the Middle East.

Lauder praised the strength of the strategic relations between Egypt and the U.S. in all fields, expressing his appreciation for Egyptian efforts in regional crises and in combating the threat of terrorism, while working to achieve a comprehensive economic revival.

President of the World Jewish Congress also underlined the positive developments Egypt has witnessed, “which point out that the Economy is regaining its status,” the statement read.

On his part, Sisi affirmed Egypt’s eagerness to realize the Palestinian reconciliation, an essential step in reviving the negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides and reaching a fair and comprehensive solution.

The meeting is the third encounter between Lauder and Sisi this year.

During his visit to Washington in April, the president had also met with Jewish organizational officials, days after his meeting with US president Donald Trump.

In February 2015, Sisi met with a delegation of 37 American Jewish leaders, and he had received another delegation of the American Jewish Committee, headed by Stanley Bergman, a year earlier. In both encounters, the president stressed on the urgency of coordinating international efforts to fight terrorism in the Middle East, and referred to the importance of a peaceful resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, in order to realize peace in the region.

The delegations members and the president had also emphasized the strategic relations between Egypt and the United States.