Egypt, Romania Stress Peaceful Solutions to Regional Disputes

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace on Wednesday (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace on Wednesday (Egyptian Presidency)
TT

Egypt, Romania Stress Peaceful Solutions to Regional Disputes

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace on Wednesday (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace on Wednesday (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt and Romania agreed Wednesday on the importance of exerting concerted efforts to achieve peaceful solutions to regional disputes.

This came during a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.

The Egyptian Presidency’s spokesperson, Bassam Radi, said Sisi looked forward to further advancing bilateral cooperation with Romania.

Sisi had visited Bucharest in June 2019, marking the first visit by an Egyptian President to Romania in about 15 years.

Radi said the two presidents discussed ways to promote cooperation, mainly in trade, and they commended the convening of the Egyptian-Romanian Economic Forum on the sidelines of the Romanian President’s current visit to Egypt.

The talks also touched on cooperation in the field of energy, given the two countries’ commitment to diversifying their sources of energy.

Also, the two presidents underscored the importance of exerting concerted efforts to achieve peaceful solutions to regional disputes.

Within this framework, they agreed on the importance of holding elections in Libya in December 2021 to give the Libyan people the chance to choose a united government that would preserve the country’s security, stability, unity and sovereignty.

Sisi and Iohannis stressed the need to commit to UN resolutions on the withdrawal of all mercenaries and foreign forces from Libya.

The two officials also tackled the latest developments in efforts to revive the peace process in the Middle East, and ensure calm between Israel and the Palestinians.

Sisi reviewed his country’s efforts to combat terrorism and extremist ideology, underlining the need for the international community to address its root-causes through a comprehensive approach.

Sisi underscored Egypt’s commitment to combating illegal migration and highlighted his country’s efforts in successfully addressing the movement of refugees across the Mediterranean.

For his part, Iohannis confirmed his keenness on furthering coordination and consultations between the two countries, highlighting Egypt’s pivotal role under the leadership of Sisi to reinforce stability and security in the Middle East and Africa.

He valued Egyptian efforts to combat terrorism and extremist ideology, as well as the successful Egyptian experience in addressing illegal migration, also lauding Cairo’s efforts to enhance dialogue among African and Arab countries and EU states.

“Romania is keen on supporting Egypt’s stance and conveying it to the EU, in light of it being one of the most important neighborhood countries to the EU,” Radi said.



Lebanon, Hezbollah Agree to US Proposal for Ceasefire with Israel, Lebanese Official Says

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike near the southern Lebanese village of al-Khiam, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 18 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike near the southern Lebanese village of al-Khiam, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 18 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
TT

Lebanon, Hezbollah Agree to US Proposal for Ceasefire with Israel, Lebanese Official Says

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike near the southern Lebanese village of al-Khiam, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 18 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike near the southern Lebanese village of al-Khiam, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 18 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)

Lebanon and Hezbollah have agreed to a US proposal for a ceasefire with Israel with some comments on the content, a top Lebanese official told Reuters on Monday, describing the effort as the most serious yet to end the fighting.

Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, said Lebanon had delivered its written response to the US ambassador in Lebanon on Monday, and White House envoy Amos Hochstein was travelling to Beirut to continue talks.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Iran-backed Hezbollah endorsed its long-time ally Berri to negotiate over a ceasefire.

"Lebanon presented its comments on the paper in a positive atmosphere," Khalil said, declining to give further details. "All the comments that we presented affirm the precise adherence to (UN) Resolution 1701 with all its provisions," he said.

He was referring to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a previous war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.

Its terms require Hezbollah to have no armed presence in the area between the Lebanese-Israeli border and the Litani River, which runs some 30 km (20 miles) north of the frontier.

Khalil said the success of the initiative now depended on Israel, saying if Israel did not want a solution, "it could make 100 problems".

Israel has long claimed that Resolution 1701 was never properly implemented, pointing to the presence of Hezbollah fighters and weapons along the border. Lebanon has accused Israel of violations including flying warplanes in its airspace.

Khalil said Israel was trying to negotiate "under fire", a reference to an escalation of its bombardment of Beirut and the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs. "This won't affect our position," he said.

Earlier, Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hochstein will visit Beirut on Tuesday, dismissing claims that he had cancelled the trip.

Axios had reported US officials as saying that Hochstein had informed Berri that he was postponing his visit until Lebanon clarifies its position over the ceasefire proposal.

The ball is in Lebanon’s court and he wanted answers before heading to Beirut, they added.

Berri dismissed the report, saying the envoy will visit as scheduled and he will be handed the Lebanese response to the US proposal.

Sources monitoring the negotiations told Asharq Al-Awsat that Berri and his aides had remained in constant contact with Hochstein and his team to reach a final draft of the ceasefire that will be presented to Israel.

They confirmed that Lebanon had positively received the proposal, despite reservations, they added.