Egypt is determined to return to its role as a heavyweight in Arab diplomacy. In a summit with a strong Euro-Arab tone, bringing together heads of state and ministers, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi spoke on Saturday, October 21, at the opening of the “summit for peace” organized by Cairo in order to achieve a de-escalation in the war in Gaza.
Around thirty representatives of countries and international organizations gathered in the “new administrative capital” of Cairo. Among them, King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Emir of Qatar, Tamim Ben Hamad Al Thani, the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Ben Zayed, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell and the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni . The United States was absent.
This summit was prepared in a few days. Since the start of the massive Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip, which followed the bloody Hamas attack on October 7, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has increased his condemnations of a “collective punishment” imposed on the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. ‘enclave. The scale of the destruction is unprecedented and already more than 4,100 Palestinians have been killed, according to Hamas. On Friday, the Egyptian president reaffirmed the need to end the ongoing conflict. Egypt and Jordan, who share the same fears of a forced expulsion of Palestinians to their territory and a regional extension of the conflict, held meetings before this summit.
This article is originally published on lemonde.fr
