Egypt's FM, EU envoy discuss Israeli-Palestinian conditions

CAIRO: Egyptian Foreign Minister and EU envoy discussed here the developments of the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the escalating violence.

The Egyptian top diplomat Sameh Shoukry warned against the serious repercussions of the continuous attacks on "the regional security and stability and the opportunities of reaching a two-state solution," the country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

He stresses Egypt's fixed stance that calls for reaching a calm on the ground and stopping Israeli unilateral actions that will further provoke the Palestinian people and have a direct impact on creating a suitable path for resuming negotiations, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Egyptian Minister reiterated the important role that the international players, the EU in particular, can play in putting an end to the current tensions and stopping violations and assaults against the Palestinians, and encouraging all sides to return to the table of negotiations.

For his part, Sven Koopmans, the European Union envoy to the Middle East Peace Process, said "the EU is keen on consultation and coordination with Egypt over the tense conditions on the Palestinian territories".

He added Egypt has a pivotal role that helped the two sides to exchange opinions and scout means of action in the coming period.

Over the past weeks, Egypt has been calling for a de-escalation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides amid violence, particularly in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said that since January 1, the Israeli army has killed more than 40 Palestinians. Israel noted that seven Israelis were killed during the same period.