LONDON: US President Donald Trump praised his Egyptian counterpart on Monday and said he was a “very important” figure in the US Middle East peace plan.
The comments came a day after the Palestinian Authority condemned the US State Department for removing the “Palestinian Territories” from its website’s list of countries and areas in the Middle East, sparking outrage among Palestinian officials.
Trump met Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the 45th G7 Summit in the French resort of Biarritz to discuss trade, regional issues and counter-terrorism.
“Great meeting this morning with President @AlsisiOfficial of Egypt at the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz, France!” Trump tweeted following the talks.
Great meeting this morning with President @AlsisiOfficial of Egypt at the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz, France! #G7Summit pic.twitter.com/zLMcgQtPdR
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2019
During the meeting, Trump lauded relations with Egypt, highlighting the country’s pivotal role in the Middle East and its efforts to counter terrorism and extremism and supporting peace and stability in the region, according to an official Egyptian statement.
Trump also congratulated El-Sisi for the progress Egypt has made under his leadership.
“Egypt has made great progress under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, with an excellent team working with him,” Trump said. “I would like to congratulate you on that very much.”
El-Sisi said the two countries enjoy mutual understanding, appreciation, and respect.
“I was very pleased to meet with President @realDonaldTrump, where the meeting reassured the strength and depth of the strategic relations between both countries, and the ongoing positive development,” El-Sisi said on Twitter.
I was very pleased to meet with President @realDonaldTrump, where the meeting reassured the strength and depth of the strategic relations between both countries, and the ongoing positive development. I assure Egypt's keenness in a joint cooperation in all fields. pic.twitter.com/ij0XQGRLPe
— Abdelfattah Elsisi (@AlsisiOfficial) August 26, 2019
Trump said the US peace plan would not be announced before the Israeli elections, set to be held on Sept. 17.
The economic component of the plan was rolled out in Bahrain in June — a $50 billion development program for the Palestinians, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. But Palestinian leaders boycotted the event, angered at the Trump administration’s approach and its decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and slash finding for UN programs supporting Palestinians.
“I think the Palestinians would like to make a deal. As you know, I cut off most funding to the Palestinians — a lot of funding. And I think they’d like to get it back. I think they’d like to make a deal. We’ll see what happens. Nobody has ever done that before,” Trump said.
When asked by reporters whether removing Palestine from the State Department’s list of countries was conducive to peace, Trump said Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State, is “working very, very hard on that situation, and very competently.”
US President #DonaldTrump praised his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah #ElSisi and said he was a “very important” figure in the US #MiddleEast peace planhttps://t.co/0OwJNCrgzL pic.twitter.com/TMwaIVsqHP
— Arab News (@arabnews) August 26, 2019
“We’d like to see if we can make a deal. It got complicated by the Israeli elections, but we’re going to know who the prime minister is going to be fairly soon,” Trump said.
Previous US administrations included the “Palestinian Territories” in its “Near Eastern Affairs: Countries and Other Areas” page and offered detailed information on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, condemned the deletion during its weekly meeting in Ramallah on Monday.
“The cabinet said that this US move confirms the American bias toward Israel, stressing that such move cannot override the Palestinian rights, which the world countries have unanimously recognized,” the cabinet statement said.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi for bilateral talks during the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France, Aug. 26, 2019. (Reuters)
El-Sisi also met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the two leaders agreed on the need to strengthen relations and committed to developing a “modern, strategic partnership.”
Commenting on the meeting, British Ambassador to Egypt Sir Geoffrey Adams said “The UK enjoys a close partnership with Egypt across a range of issues including health, education, and security.”
