Shoukry discusses Jerusalem situation with Jordon’s FM

CAIRO – 9 December 2017: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Saturday his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, before the launch of the emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers to discuss the developments of Jerusalem.

During the meeting, the two ministers discussed ways of responding to the United States’ decision to declare occupied Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and promoting coordination between the two countries, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abo Zeid in a statement.

Shoukry agreed with Safadi to increase bilateral consultation and cooperation and to exert more effort to support the Palestinian case on the international level to establish an independent Palestinian state in East Jerusalem.

A delegation from Bahrain, headed by Assistant Foreign Minister Abdullah al-Dossari, arrived in Cairo on Saturday to participate in the Arab foreign ministers' meeting to discuss the repercussions of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision on the city of Jerusalem.

Cairo International Airport witnessed intensive preparations to receive the Arab foreign ministers participating in the meeting of the League of Arab States. Foreign ministers from Morocco, Mauritania, Kuwait, Morocco, Algeria and Sudan arrived at the airport on Saturday.

Earlier, Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the American administration's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Aboul Gheit warned against the “dangerous magnitude of the negative consequences” of this decision, suggesting that the decision will stand in the way of peace, illustrating that the U.S. does not properly understand the situation.

Aboul Gheit said in a Wednesday press statement, “Jerusalem has its special status in the hearts of the Arab Christians and Muslims,” describing the move as a futile attempt to manipulate the city’s fate.