Calling the Gaza peace plan as the “only game in town”, Egypt’s Foreign minister Badr Abdelatty said on Friday that Egypt will work with the United States and other regional and international partners to secure a UN Security Council resolution to establish an international stabilization force to monitor the implementation of the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement on Gaza.
Speaking to journalists in Delhi on Friday, Abdelatty, who also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, called for more Indian investments in Egypt. He also pitched Egypt at the heart of the connectivity projects, saying his country’s loss due to the disruption in the maritime traffic on the Red Sea is exceeding USD 9 billion.
Abdelatty had called on External Affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday.
He also talked about countering terrorism and extremism, and said that Egypt had warned the world about the Muslim Brotherhood, and called the differentiation between moderate and violent extremists “nonsense”. He also said that linking terrorism to a particular religion is a “big mistake”.
On the Gaza peace plan, the Egyptian Foreign minister said, “With regard to Gaza, we have agreed on the Trump peace plan. This is the only game in town now, and we should work on making this plan successful …we believe that the US President Trump is the only person who managed to end this war and the only guarantor for implementation on the ground. What we have to do now is, of course, to make sure that the two parties will implement faithfully and in good intention the agreement of Sharman Shubha. There are responsibilities for each party, Israel has its own responsibilities, and Hamas has its own responsibilities.”
About the next steps, he said that they are in the final stages in the implementation of Phase 1, with regard to release of all hostages. “We are still waiting for the handover of the remains of bodies, because it’s very complicated. It’s not because Hamas is not honouring its commitments, but it’s because of logistical problems. You cannot imagine the magnitude of destruction and the debris and the explosive devices on the ground. So that’s hindering the efforts of finding the bodies and handing them over to Israel, but we are fully committed, and we will work with Hamas,” he said.
And, the next step, he said “is to go to New York to the UN Security Council in order to prepare a draft resolution which will, of course, give legitimacy to the International Stabilization Force. This force is extremely important in terms of monitoring the implementation, and also to provide legitimacy and to identify the mission and the mandate of this force, which will be providing full support to the Palestinians. Because we have agreed on 15 persons of the administrative Palestinian committee which will run the daily life of the Palestinians, including providing basic services to the Palestinians for a transitional period of time. Then we empower the Palestinian Authority in order to be deployed. But we have to bear in mind that Gaza is an integral part of the West Bank, and both are integral parts of the future Palestinian State, and this is the only solution for the Palestinian cause. If we are serious about having a final peace and security, a comprehensive deal and the security for Israel and the whole region, the only solution is to respond positively to the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people to have their own statehood, to have their own independent State,” Abdelatty said.
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Connectivity, he said, is “extremely important” and “Egypt is at the heart of any connectivity projects, in light of our strategic location, in light of the Suez Canal, the Special Economic Zone in the Suez Canal… linking East with the West, linking Mediterranean with South East Asia, Southern Asia, Gulf countries, and we are open for joining any projects of connectivity.”
He said that “normalisation and connectivity stopped for a single reason, you cannot talk about normalization without solving the heart, the core of the conflict in the region, which is the Palestinian question”.
Indian investments
Abdelatty said he encouraged “more Indian companies to come to invest in the region…I met with CEOs of companies here, we value Indian investment in Egypt. We value the trade volume between Egypt and India, and we have the Suez Canal economic zone. This is important. We have a special industrial zone for China, and for Russia, and we are encouraging the Indian companies to have an Indian industrial zone alongside the Suez Canal economic zone, and we are providing all kinds of facilitations, all kinds of incentives to the Indian companies.”
“Don’t forget the fact that we have a huge market. It’s not only the Egyptian market. Even the Egyptian market is 120 million people, 110 million Egyptians and 10 million refugees living in Egypt. And don’t forget the fact that we have FTA arrangements with a lot of blocs, including Africa, Europe and Latin America…So, Indian companies who are investing in Egypt are targeting a market of at least 2 billion inhabitants, not only 120 million Egyptians. So, this is a big incentive for the companies to come to invest, and I found a very positive response from the companies,” he said.
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Abdelatty said that “Egyptian President (Abdel Fattah el-Sisi) has instructed the government to provide all conducive environment, all facilitations to Indian companies to do business in not only in traditional sectors as chemicals, such as pharmaceutical such as minerals, especially phosphate and fertilizers, but also new sectors such as digitalisation, application of artificial intelligence, renewable energy as well as clean energy.”
Countering terrorism
On countering terrorism, he said, “We are in the forefront in fighting terrorism and fighting terrorism through holistic approach, and this is our policy, and that’s why we managed to eradicate terrorism in Egypt, because of our holistic approach, not only security dimension, but socio-economic dimension, cutting funds and fighting extremist ideology through our religious institutions. And this is what I conveyed to our Indian friends and even to the Indian parliamentary delegation which toured the region, and I received them. So again, we have huge potential for enhancing our cooperation and to fulfil the will of the two leaders, President Sisi and the Prime Minister Modi, as it was translated in our strategic partnership.”
Muslim Brotherhood and terrorism
On the Muslim Brotherhood, he said that it’s a “designated terrorist outfit, and “we warned everybody. We warned the European countries. We warned the West. We warned the Asian countries. Be careful. This is the main umbrella of all terrorist groups, since its establishment in 1928. But unfortunately, in other countries, they ignored our warning, stayed with the tigers, and they’ve been burned.”
“It’s a big mistake by the West to differentiate between so-called moderate extremists and violent extremists. This is nonsense,” he said.
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He also said that one cannot eradicate terrorism only by security measures, but this should be complemented with socio economic development and finding jobs in order to neutralize the environment of recruitment.
And above all, here, “it’s all about here, about here…the mind,” pointing to his head.
“Jihad means to purify yourself, to be closer to God, to be a good Muslim, not killing others,..we are providing all of our expertise, including providing training to young Imams, young preachers. This is very important, because it’s all about recruitment by young people, young Imams. And also promoting principles of Islam, of tolerance, of coexistence, of moderation, not the Islam, hijacked by terrorist organisations. They are criminals. You cannot call them Muslims. And I have a message for you. It’s a big mistake to connect or to link a religion with terrorism. This is a big mistake. Terrorist violence is international, a global phenomenon. It’s not linked to specific people, specific culture, specific civilisation, specific religions. You have a lot of terrorist people who happen to be Buddhist or Muslims or Christians or Jews or Hindus. You cannot link this phenomenon with religion,” he said.
Red Sea disruption
On the disruption of maritime traffic on the Red Sea, he said, “We are the most affected country with escalation in the Red Sea in Yemen…the total loss of Egypt is exceeding USD 9 billion due to the escalation. We used to have at least 75 ships every day crossing the Suez Canal…now, it’s 20 to 30…dropped by at least 60 per cent.”
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He said that it’s been almost one year since Houthis started to target ships, and this is the most efficient, effective, cheapest route for trade through the Suez Canal.
“So we are working very hard with all the stakeholders, including the European Union, including India, including Russia, China, and the United States, in order to settle down the current situation. And of course, ending the war in Gaza is now very important, and giving no single justification for any escalation in Yemen, because some parties you know, used to claim that it’s because of Gaza. We managed to, with the support of the United States, end the war in Gaza. So, there is no justification for any escalation against the freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea,” he said.
