Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati discussed with his US counterpart Anthony Blinken and his British counterpart David Lamy mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, ahead of an expected four-way meeting today, Wednesday, in the Qatari capital, Doha.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday, Tuesday, that Abdel Aati received a phone call from Blinken in which they discussed "the ongoing efforts to sponsor ceasefire negotiations and the opportunities to reach a truce that allows for the exchange of prisoners and detainees and the intensification of the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip."
The phone call also addressed the "developments of the crisis" in Sudan, which has been witnessing a war for more than a year between the army forces and the Rapid Support Forces. The two ministers agreed to continue communication during the next stage to follow up on coordination and consultation on other important regional issues, such as the situation in Libya, the security of the Red Sea and Lebanon.
Abdel-Ati received a phone call from his British counterpart, David Lammy, during which they discussed developments in the Gaza Strip and the Egyptian efforts to sponsor negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides.
The two ministers expressed, according to a second statement from the ministry, their "deep concern over the situation in Lebanon and the possibility of escalation that threatens Lebanon's stability and exacerbates tensions in the region."
Quadripartite meeting in Doha
The phone calls came ahead of a meeting scheduled for Wednesday in Doha between officials from Cairo, Doha, Washington and Tel Aviv.
Cairo News Channel quoted an Egyptian source, described as high-level, as saying: "Doha will witness on Wednesday a four-party meeting that includes delegations from Egypt, the United States, Qatar, and Israel."
Egyptian intelligence chief Major General Abbas Kamel and CIA Director William Burns will head the Egyptian and US delegations to the Doha meeting, which comes after an "intensive round of talks" in Cairo, according to the same source.
Earlier on Tuesday, Cairo News Channel quoted a "senior source" as saying that the truce negotiations were continuing (on their second day) in Cairo, "amidst intensive activity by the Egyptian security delegation to bring the viewpoints of all parties closer together."
For months, the United States, Qatar and Egypt have been leading mediation efforts in an attempt to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would include a prisoner exchange and a ceasefire.
Although Hamas has confirmed its readiness to “deal positively with any deal that secures a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, reconstruction of the Strip after the end of the war, an exchange of prisoners, and the provision of relief to the Palestinians of the Strip,” mediation efforts face obstacles in light of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on not stopping the war.
It's ahead of a crucial four-party meeting in Doha on Wednesday.
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