Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, is participating in the emergency summit of the League of Arab States in Cairo on behalf of the European Union, scheduled for Tuesday, to discuss the latest developments in Gaza.
According to a European statement issued in Brussels, the summit will focus on plans for the safe return of Palestinian civilians to their homes and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip [and its future government], in the context of the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. The President will take this opportunity to reaffirm the European Union's commitment to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the region based on the two-state solution in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, where Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders. President Costa will also hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders in the region.
According to the European statement, the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said in his speech before arriving in Cairo: "I will travel to Cairo to confirm that the European Union will be present to work with partners to achieve a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution. We will support early recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza as an essential part of the future Palestinian state, in line with UN resolutions and international law." Costa arrives in Cairo today, Monday, coming from Moldova, which was the second stop on his tour that also included the British capital, London. The tour will last from the second to the fourth of this March.