Cairo- Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said in New York on Monday that the time has come to effectively confront parties supporting terrorism and push them to shoulder their responsibilities.
Sisi called on Qatar to show goodwill towards the interests of Arab countries and follow a non-interference approach with their internal affairs.
The Egyptian president began a visit to New York on Monday, where he will attend the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, during which he is expected to deliver Egypt’s statement to the General Assembly on Tuesday and meet US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Sisi met on Monday at his New York City residence a group of influential figures in the American community, including a number of ministers, officials and former military, as well as leaders of research centers and US think tanks.
Ambassador Alaa Youssef, the president’s spokesperson, said the president welcomed these American figures who contribute to creating the American vision and direct decision-making circles on how to address different international affairs.
Sisi also confirmed the importance of strategic relations between Egypt and the US, noting that Egypt is concerned about improving and developing these ties.
According to the Egyptian diplomat, Sisi discussed Egyptian developments and said that his country has been fighting a war against terrorism and extremism over the past years. Sisi added that the international community must adopt a comprehensive approach to confront terror groups and deal with funding and arming them and limit their ability to recruit fighters.
Commenting on the situation of human rights in Egypt, Sisi said there is now a constitutional framework that organizes relations between state authorities and gives several jurisdictions to the elected parliament.
He added that Egypt is keen on respecting human rights which must not be summed up in political rights as they must also include economic and social rights.
Regarding the regional situation, Sisi said it’s important not to divide countries in the Middle East as this will lead to more conflicts.
Sisi discussed Egypt’s efforts to revive the peace process and said Egypt supports all international initiatives which aim to reach a fair settlement according to international references.
He added that in the past phase, Egypt talked with the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to narrow the gap and reach a reconciliation so the Palestinian Authority can return to Gaza.
The Egyptian president said that brokering Palestinian-Israeli peace cannot be imposed by foreign parties as it must be based on the willingness of both parties.