Egyptian, U.S. presidents review outcomes of Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha
Insight Online News
Cairo, Aug 17 : Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden reviewed on Friday the outcomes of ceasefire negotiations held in Qatar’s capital Doha over the past two days.
During a phone conversation, the two presidents discussed the situation in the Middle East and efforts to restore regional stability, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.
The two leaders agreed to continue and intensify joint efforts in the coming days to reach an agreement in this regard, the statement said.
Sisi stressed the continuation of Egyptian contacts with various parties in the region to urge non-escalation and self-restraint, in light of the gravity of the situation in the Middle East, it said.
The Egyptian president also affirmed the need to respect the sovereignty of states and prevent the region from sliding into a vicious cycle of confrontations and violence, it added.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar, mediators of the Gaza ceasefire talks, announced on Friday that the two-day discussions in Doha have concluded, with plans to reconvene in Cairo next week to finalize a deal aimed at ending the conflict.
In a joint statement, they described the talks as constructive and conducted in a positive environment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office expressed gratitude for the mediators’ efforts and hoped they would lead Hamas to accept the terms of a proposal made in late May.
Meanwhile, Hamas, which did not participate directly, accused Israel of adding new conditions to a previously supported proposal, and accused the Biden administration of trying to create a “false positive atmosphere,” expressing skepticism about the negotiations’ outcome.
