Sisi urges Israel to 'move toward peace', says Egypt is anchor of stability

Wednesday 21-09-2016 12:58 PM

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi addresses the United Nations General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S. September 20, 2016. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

CAIRO, Sept 21 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said during his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that the Arab-Israeli conflict continues to be the core of regional instability.

Sisi deviated from the written speech to address the Israeli people and leadership, urging them to look into the need of finding a solution to the Arab Israeli conflict and calling for the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. 

"We have a true opportunity, a real opportunity to write a bright page in the history of our region to move towards peace," Sisi said.

Sisi’s remarks at the UN echoes his statements in May when he promised Israel warmer ties if it accepted efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, urging Israeli leaders not to waste an opportunity to bring security and hope to a troubled region.

The peace process has been suspended since the collapse of a US-led initiative between the Palestinian and Israeli sides in April 2014. 

The Egyptian president referred to his country as “an anchor of stability in the Middle East” saying that it’s exerting effort to restore stability and security in the region. 

“The Egyptian experience is wonderful and unique, and can be repeated by solving the problem of the Palestinians and establishing a Palestinian state side by side with the Israeli state that preserves peace and security for the Palestinians and safety and security for the Israelis,” Sisi added during his speech at the UN. 

Despite suffering from constant violent and terrorist attacks since the military ousted former president Mohamed Mursi following mass protests against his rule, Sisi said that Egypt managed to “preserve its stability” in the midst of a highly unstable region.

He ascribed Egypt’s stability to the “solidity of its institutions and its people's awareness of their great cultural heritage”. 

Sisi continued to address the issue of instability in the region, saying that “bloodletting in Syria and the absence of any political horizon solution is no longer acceptable.” He called for reaching a solution that would realize the aspirations of the Syrians.

Syria has been suffering from severe conflicts, terrorism and dire economic and political conditions throughout the past five years. A UN special envoy has estimated in April that 400,000 people have been killed in Syria since 2011. At least 6.6 million people are internally displaced, according to the UN.

Sisi, praising the recent U.S.-Russian deal on a nationwide truce in Syria, reiterated that the Syrian crisis should be resolved politically and called for an “immediate and comprehensive halt to all hostile acts” in the war torn country.

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