EU High Representative Ashton’s remarks after meeting Egypt’s FM – EU Press release/Non-UN document

Remarks by the High Representative

Catherine Ashton following the meeting with the Foreign

Minister of Egypt, Mohammed Kamel Amr

Cairo, 12 September 2011

"I am pleased to be back in Egypt today. I just met the Foreign Minister and I reiterated the wish of the European Union to continue to work with Egypt, while of course it is for Egypt to determine its future. The EU Special Representative for Southern Mediterranean Bernardino Leon has already been to Egypt twice. We are also continuing our work through our delegation. We discussed today the efforts that we're putting into making sure that we deliver the kind of support that will make a big difference for the Egyptian people. And that's not just for the short term. It's also thinking about the medium and long term, because where the European institutions can really offer help is in being with you for a long time to come.

The second issue we discussed was of course about the Middle East Peace Process and the United Nations, and I will be having a number of meetings today and tomorrow in order to discuss the future. There is no resolution on the table yet, so there is no position. What we're very clear about from the European Union is that the way forward is negotiations. We want to see a just and fair settlement. We want to see the people of Palestine and the people of Israel living side by side, in peace and security. And I will do everything I can to try and help achieve that, and I hope in my meetings today we can discuss these issues further."

Background:

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, is in the Middle East this week. On Monday and Tuesday in Cairo she is scheduled to meet Nabil Al-Araby, Secretary-General of the Arab League, and hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of the Arab League countries and with President of the Palestine Authority Mahmoud Abbas. On Wednesday she will be in Israel to talk to the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister and Deputy PM Avigdor Liberman. The High Representative started her two-day stay in Cairo with the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Mohammed Kamel Amr. The coverage of the trip will be available on Europe by Satellite.

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