on Monday 30 January, 2023

US Secretary of State discusses Mideast tensions with Egypt’s Sisi in first stop

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at Al-Ittihadiya presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt January 30, 2023. (Reuters)
by : REUTERS

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians in talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday during a three-day visit to the Middle East.

After arriving in Egypt on Sunday, Blinken said he wanted to strengthen Washington’s “strategic partnership” with Egypt, a major recipient of US military aid that has helped mediate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking during a joint conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Blinken said that a two-state solution is the only path to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Blinken also added that he will encourage parties in Israel and the occupied West Bank to calm things down and de-escalate tensions.

He is expected to head later on Monday to Jerusalem, where he will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid concern at home and abroad over the policies of Netanyahu’s new right-wing government.

Blinken will then travel to Ramallah to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The meeting with Sisi also addressed regional issues including attempts to relaunch a political transition in Sudan and to break the deadlock between rival factions in Libya, according to a statement from US State Department spokesman Ned Price.