Egypt leader to raise Palestine issue with US president

CAIRO

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday promised to raise the issue of Palestinian statehood with U.S. President Donald Trump when he makes a scheduled visit to Washington next month.

Al-Sisi made the assertion at a meeting in Cairo with Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas, during which the two men discussed means of restarting stalled Palestine-Israel peace talks and promoting inter- Palestinian reconciliation.

At the meeting, al-Sisi also confirmed “Egypt’s desire to reach a just solution based on an independent Palestinian state established on June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," according to a statement issued by Egypt’s presidency.

Abbas, for his part, hailed Egyptian efforts “to provide protection to the Palestinian people and promote Palestinian national unity," the same statement read.

The Palestinian president also vowed to maintain consultations with his Egyptian counterpart in the run-up to an Arab League summit set to convene in Jordan later this month.

Abbas went on to voice hope that the upcoming summit would “help provide practical solutions to problems afflicting the region, most important of which is the Palestinian issue”.

Following his Monday meeting with al-Sisi, Abbas departed Cairo after a two-day visit.

Reporting by Mohamed Mahmoud; Writing by Ali Abo Rezeg