CAIRO, June 4 (KUNA) -- It is imperative to allow the "urgent" delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Wednesday, citing the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Palestinian enclave.
Cairo is ratcheting up mediation efforts, alongside the US and Qatar, in a bid to put in place a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, foreign ministry spokesman Ambassador Tamim Khallaf said in a statement after talks between Egypt's top diplomat and China's Special Envoy on the Middle East Zhai Jun, in which developments around the wider region were discussed.
He went on to reiterate the need to establish an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 border lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, while praising Beijing's "balanced" approach to the Middle East conflict.
The statement went on to underline the "progress" seen in relations between Cairo and Beijing, citing a mutual desire to propel these relations to even greater levels. (end) aff.nam