Egypt’s FM says Jordan's quadripartite meeting targets framework to resolve Palestinian-Israeli conflict
Ahram Online, , Thursday 24 Sep 2020
'We aim to reach a two-state solution … and the suspension by Israel of a planned annexation of the West Bank should be final,' French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said


Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said the quadripartite meeting with the foreign ministers of Jordan, France and Germany which took place in Jordan on Thursday aimed to converge viewpoints on the peace process and means to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The meeting in Amman targeted reaching a comprehensive and fair solution for the Palestinian cause and achieving the two-state solution, Shoukry said at a joint press conference with his French and Jordanian counterparts following the meeting.

“We are working on finding new frameworks that attract the participation of [conflict] parties towards greater interaction to push the peace process and reach a formula to end the conflict,” he said.

Shoukry added there is ongoing communication with the Palestinian Authority to bolster efforts aimed at establishing a Palestinian state on the basis of international accords.

He said the meeting was important because it focused on finding suitable means to push peace and open channels of communication between parties to the conflict.

Egypt’s foreign minister stated that the peace accords Israel signed with the UAE and Bahrain are an important development that shall lead to greater interactions and support to reach comprehensive peace in the region on the basis of international legitimacy.

Egypt has welcomed the recent peace agreements between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain as steps towards bringing peace to the Middle East.

Cairo supports a two-state solution, with East Jerusalem the capital of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders and according to UN Security Council resolutions.

Egypt has repeatedly expressed its rejection of Israel’s plan to annex the West Bank and called for the revival of the peace process.

Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said there is no comprehensive peace without a two-state solution, adding that the ball was now in Israel’s court to choose between peace and maintaining the status quo.

“We are all worried about the stalemate in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and we have to continue our efforts. This meeting is the eighth of its kind, and we are working through it to launch serious talks to reach fair peace,” he said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that both Palestine and Israel are keen on finding a solution to the conflict, yet not at the expense of either.

He also praised the recent peace agreements between the UAE, Bahrain and Israel, saying they will help bring stability to the region.

“We aim to reach a two-state solution … and the suspension by Israel of a planned annexation of the West Bank should be final,” he said.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who cancelled his trip to Jordan due to a coronavirus quarantine, said via videocoference that peace agreements between the UAE and Bahrain and Israel demonstrated that peace in the region is possible.

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