Combined images of (From L to R) Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron. Al-Ahram.
Both leaders addressed in a phone call on Saturday the ongoing preparations for the conference, scheduled for Monday, 22 September, on the sidelines of the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly, the Egyptian presidency said.
El-Sisi and Macron agreed on the importance of this conference in implementing the principle of the two-state solution, and establishing an independent Palestinian state along the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The scheduled two-state solution conference on the sidelines of the upcoming UNGA aims to build on outcomes of the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia and held from 28-30 July in New York, as a UN Member State-led conference, mandated through two resolutions of the General Assembly.
During the call, the Egyptian president reiterated his appreciation for France's intention to recognize the Palestinian state at the upcoming UNGA, describing the move as "a positive step toward realizing just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East."
In late July, President Macron, who has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israeli war in Gaza, announced that his country would recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming UNGA in New York.
In the weeks that followed the French announcement, several Western powers announced their intentions to do the same at the UNGA, including Australia, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Malta and Portugal. The UK and Belgium said they would also recognize Palestinian statehood but with conditions. This brought up the number of UN member-states that recognize the State of Palestine to 148 nations.
During the call, President El-Sisi affirmed to Macron that Egypt was calling on all countries that have not recognized Palestinian statehood to do so in support of the international process toward ending the conflict and achieving regional stability.
Earlier on Saturday, the Egyptian foreign ministry welcomed Portugal's announcement of its intention to recognize the State of Palestine at the upcoming UNGA as "a historic step which reflects the growing international support for Palestinian rights to self-determination and the establishment of an independent, contiguous state along the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital."
On 12 September, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to back a declaration outlining “tangible, time-bound and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. The text was adopted by 142 votes in favour, 10 against -- including Israel and key ally the United States -- and 12 abstentions. Formally called the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the text calls for "collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the Two-State solution."
Follow ups
The call between the two leaders also followed up on the outcomes of the recent virtual summit between President El-Sisi and President Macron, as well as the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The virtual summit, held last week at the invitation of the French president to discuss regional developments, discussed efforts for regional de-escalation amid the escalating Israeli war in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli aggression against Qatar.
During the call, the Egyptian president also updated the French president on the most important outcomes of the recent emergency Arab-Islamic summit held in Doha after the Israeli attack on Qatar.
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