House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Friday received at the Second Presidency in Ain El-Tineh, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, and the accompanying delegation, in the presence of Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon, Alaa Moussa, and Speaker Berri’s Media Advisor Ali Hamdan.

Discussions reportedly touched on the general situation in Lebanon and the region in light of Israel’s continued aggression against Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, in addition to the atmosphere of the ongoing contacts being made to stop the Israeli aggression, as well as the Lebanese-Egyptian bilateral relations.

During the meeting, Speaker Berri highly valued the great effort made by the Arab Republic of Egypt and President Abdel Fattah to stop the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, hailing the historical role of sisterly Egypt and its friendship and brotherhood relations and permanent solidarity with Lebanon in all circumstances, especially in times of hardship and crises.

The Speaker stressed “the convergence of views between Lebanon and Egyp
t, considering that the real root of the conflict in the region is the Palestinian cause and granting the Palestinian people their legitimate rights.”

Speaker Berri also considered that ‘the success of the efforts currently exerted in the Qatari capital, Doha, for ceasefire, is the main gateway to restoring stability and solutions in the region.”

In turn, Minister Abdelatty said after the one-hour meeting, ‘I was pleased to meet with House Speaker Nabih Berri, and I spoke with him about the difficult situations that Lebanon and the region are currently going through.’

Abdellatty added, ‘I conveyed to the Speaker a message of support and solidarity from the Egyptian leadership, government and people, to the brotherly Lebanese people, government and all Lebanese state institutions, bearing on that Egypt stands in solidarity with Lebanon, and we also affirm that the security and stability of Lebanon is an Egyptian interest, in the first place, and also an Arab interest that we are working to preserve and main
tain.”

He added: “I am here on this visit to Lebanon, under the assignment and direction of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to convey this clear message and to confirm our support for Lebanon, its government, leadership and people, and to confirm once again the importance of stopping the escalation and not dragging the region into a comprehensive regional war. Also, Egypt is making every possible effort, as you know, to stop this escalation and to work as much as possible and as quickly as possible to reach an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and to stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.”

He continued: ‘I also conveyed to the Speaker that the core of the conflict in this region is the persistence of the Palestinian cause without a solution, and the continued failure of the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights, most importantly their right to establish an independent state on the entire national territory on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its c
apital. I also mentioned to the Speaker that the continued aggression on the Gaza Strip and the continued targeting of civilians and killing of innocent civilians is the main reason behind the escalation in the region and that an immediate ceasefire must be reached in the Gaza Strip so that the escalation stops.’

He added: “I confirmed to Speaker Berri Egypt’s condemnation of all provocative policies, including the violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty. We confirm once again Egypt’s support for Lebanon’s unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty, and that any violation of this sovereignty is condemned. The aggression on the southern suburb of the capital Beirut is rejected, which we strongly condemned previously, as well as the policy of assassinations which is totally rejected.”

Minister Abdellatty concluded: “We affirm our support for Lebanon in this difficult ordeal and circumstance, and we will spare no effort to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as it is the basis for stopping the escalation and re
ducing the tension.”

Source : National news agency – Lebanon