Sisi Asserts the Need for Permanent, Comprehensive Ceasefire in Sudan


Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with the delegation of the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with the delegation of the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi Asserts the Need for Permanent, Comprehensive Ceasefire in Sudan


Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with the delegation of the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with the delegation of the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Saturday asserted the need for a "permanent and comprehensive ceasefire" in Sudan, and for a peaceful dialogue that leads to the completion of a transitional path, acceptable by the Sudanese.

Sisi received a large delegation from the US House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, chaired by Mike Turner.

The meeting was also attended by the Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, Major General Abbas Kamel, and US Charge d'affaires in Egypt, John Desrocher.

Presidency spokesman, Ahmed Fahmy, said the meeting asserted the solid strategic partnership between Egypt and the US.

Fahmy indicated that the US delegation highlighted Egypt's critical role as a cornerstone for stability and peace in the region.

They also referred to Cairo's leading role in combating terrorism, which requires further strengthening cooperation and consultation between the two countries to mitigate escalating risks and challenges at the international and regional levels.

The President engaged in an open discussion with the delegation members about regional crises that threaten the pillars of states, putting the capabilities of people at existential risk. They warned against further exacerbation of humanitarian and economic conditions for millions of people in the region.

According to a spokesman, the meeting addressed recent developments in the Palestinian matter.

Sisi stressed the importance of resuming negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis to reach a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian crisis under international references.

The President referred to the relentless Egyptian efforts to maintain calm between Palestinian and Israeli sides and the initiatives to reconstruct Gaza.

He confirmed that a just and comprehensive peace would open new and broad horizons in the region in the interest of development and prosperity for all peoples.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, met in the UK with several heads of government and participating delegations during the coronation ceremony of King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.

The meetings addressed the recent developments in Sudan besides regional and international issues.

Madbouly explained Egypt's relentless efforts to reach a quick solution to the Sudanese crisis that would protect Sudan and its people from the negative repercussions of the current conflict.

The government said in a statement that Madbouly reviewed Egypt's efforts to receive Sudanese nationals across the border.



Biden Warns Israel against Iran Oil Strikes as War Fears Mount

US President Joe Biden speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 4, 2024. (AFP)
US President Joe Biden speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 4, 2024. (AFP)
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Biden Warns Israel against Iran Oil Strikes as War Fears Mount

US President Joe Biden speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 4, 2024. (AFP)
US President Joe Biden speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 4, 2024. (AFP)

US President Joe Biden on Friday advised Israel against striking Iran's oil facilities, saying he was trying to rally the world to avoid the escalating prospect of all-out war in the Middle East.

But his predecessor Donald Trump, currently campaigning for another term in power, went so far as to suggest Israel should "hit" Iran's nuclear sites.

Making a surprise first appearance in the White House briefing room, Biden said that Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu "should remember" US support for Israel when deciding on next steps.

"If I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields," Biden told reporters, when asked about his comments a day earlier that Washington was discussing the possibility of such strikes with its ally.

Biden added that the Israelis "have not concluded how they're, what they're going to do" in retaliation for a huge ballistic missile attack by Iran on Israel on Tuesday.

The price of oil had jumped after Biden's remarks Thursday.

Any long-term rise could be damaging for US Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrat confronts Republican Trump in a November 5 election where the cost of living is a major issue.

Meanwhile Trump, campaigning in North Carolina, offered a far more provocative view of what he thinks a response to Iran should be, referencing a question posed to Biden this week about the possibility of Israel targeting Iran's nuclear program.

"They asked him, 'what do you think about Iran, would you hit Iran?' And he goes, 'As long as they don't hit the nuclear stuff.' That's the thing you want to hit, right?" Trump told a town hall style event in Fayetteville, near a major US military base.

Biden "got that one wrong," Trump said.

"When they asked him that question, the answer should have been, hit the nuclear first, and worry about the rest later," Trump added.

Trump has spoken little about the recent escalation in tensions in the Middle East. But he issued a scathing statement this week, holding Biden and Harris responsible for the crisis.

- 'Wait to see' -

Biden's appearance at the famed briefing room podium was not announced in advance, taking reporters by surprise.

It comes at a tense time as he prepares to leave office with the Mideast situation boiling over and political criticism at home over his handling of a recent hurricane that struck the US southeast.

Biden said he was doing his best to avoid a full-scale conflagration in the Middle East, where Israel is bombing Lebanon in a bid to wipe out the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

"The main thing we can do is try to rally the rest of the world and our allies into participating... to tamp this down," he told reporters.

"But when you have (Iranian) proxies as irrational as Hezbollah and the Houthis (of Yemen)... it's a hard thing to determine."

Biden however had tough words for Netanyahu, with whom he has had rocky relations as he seeks to manage Israel's response following the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

The Israeli premier has repeatedly ignored Biden's calls for restraint on Lebanon, and on Israel's war in Gaza, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians.

Biden deflected a question on whether he believed Netanyahu was hanging back on signing a Middle East peace deal in a bid to influence the US presidential election.

"No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None, none, none. And I think Bibi should remember that," Biden said.

"And whether he's trying to influence the election, I don't know, but I'm not counting on that."

Biden said he had still not spoken to Netanyahu since the Iranian attack, which involved some 200 missiles, but added their teams were in "constant contact."

"They're not going to make a decision immediately, and so we're going to wait to see when they want to talk," the US leader added.

Iran said its attack was in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah has been launching rockets at Israel since shortly after the October 7, 2023 attacks.