Cairo, May 2: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and visiting French counterpart Stephane Sejourne met here to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip and an Egypt-brokered ceasefire proposed for the enclave. The two Ministers briefed each other on the indirect truce talks between the Gaza-ruling Palestinian faction Hamas and Israel over reaching a ceasefire in Gaza and swap of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday in a statement.
Shoukry said that Egypt has put forward "implementable" truce proposals to both parties, who are expected to show "necessary flexibility" to realise an agreement that would spare Palestinians bloodshed, Xinhua news agency reported. For his part, Sejourne said France is willing to support Arab efforts for settling the Palestinian issue, according to the statement. He highlighted France's efforts to contain escalation between Israel and Lebanon on their borders, stressing that the potential truce in Gaza has to be accompanied by a similar truce in Lebanon, according to the Ministry's statement.
Shoukry and Sejourne reaffirmed their absolute rejection of any Israeli attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause by displacing Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip. The two Ministers agreed to completely reject any ground military operation in the city of Rafah, now the only haven for millions of people in Gaza, due to high humanitarian concerns and the risk of regional spillover, said the statement. For months, Egypt, Qatar, and the US have been trying to mediate a new agreement between Hamas and Israel on a truce in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages.
--IANS
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