CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said Tuesday that the various hotspot issues that weigh on regional peace and stability should be solved via political means based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Sisi’s remarks came during his address to the general debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly via videoconference. Political settlement of such issues under the auspices of the UN is of particular importance, as it coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the UN and the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has causes huge human losses and profound economic and social impacts, said Sisi.
On the Libyan crisis, he said Egypt adheres to the UN-brokered political settlement path to solve the conflict in the oil-rich country on the basis of the political agreement signed in Sukhirat as well as the outcomes of the Berlin conference and the “Cairo Declaration.”
He noted that the repercussions of the crisis also affect the security of neighboring countries and international stability, stressing that Egypt is determined to support the Libyans to get rid of terrorist organizations and militias.
The Egyptian president also said that his country will also work to stop the blatant interference of some regional parties that intend to bring foreign fighters to Libya to achieve their ambitions.
Speaking about the Palestinian cause, Sisi said the Palestinian people are still looking for the most basic of human rights, which is living in their independent state side by side with the rest of the region. The international community must reactivate its commitment to achieve the long-awaited peace and confront the measures of seizing Palestinian lands, stressing that such actions undermine the foundations of the peace settlement and the two-state solution adopted by international resolutions, the Egyptian leader said.
Meanwhile, Sisi said a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis has become an urgent matter to extinguish the flames of war and implement all elements of a political settlement in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254. He said that the solution should be implemented in a way that achieves the unity and territorial integrity of Syria, the integrity of its institutions, and the aspirations of its people.
Regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Sisi said Egyptians are concerned about the building of the mega project. He said that Egypt has spent nearly a full decade in negotiations with Sudan and Ethiopia, seeking to reach an agreement that organizes the filling and operation of the dam and achieves the required balance between the development requirements of the Ethiopian people and safeguarding Egypt’s water interests.
Over the course of the current year, Sisi said, Egypt has gone through successive rounds of intensive negotiations where the U.S. administration has made efforts to bring the positions of the three countries closer through the talks it sponsored with the assistance of the World Bank over a period of several months.
“We were also sincerely engaged in the discussions that took place at the initiative of my brother, the Prime Minister of Sudan. Afterwards, we participated in the negotiations that the Republic of South Africa called for as the current chair of the African Union, but unfortunately, these efforts did not lead to the desired results,” Sisi said. Sisi added that the Nile River is not the monopoly of a party, and its water is a necessity for the survival of Egypt.
The UN Security Council’s response to Egypt’s call to hold a consultation session on the GERD on June 29 confirmed the seriousness of this issue and its direct connection with preserving international peace and security, Sisi said.
“The Egyptian President stressed that the negotiation period should not be extended indefinitely,” he said, noting that the peoples of the two countries yearn for stability, development, and a promising new era of cooperation.
