BICOM

The leaders of Egypt and Jordan have called for a revival of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians following a summit in Cairo.

A statement from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s office said: “The two sides discussed future movements to break the gridlock within the Middle East peace process [and explored] mutual coordination to reach a two state solution [with the goal to create] a Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as a capital.”

The private meeting between President al-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan took place at the Heliopolis Palace, the Egyptian President’s residence, followed by expanded talks attended by senior officials from both sides. The two also discussed Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.

The Egyptian President’s Spokesperson Alaa Youssef said that the meeting is part of an effort to revive Middle East peace talks proposed by US President Donald Trump, who begins a Middle East tour today in Saudi Arabia.

In preparation for President Trump’s visit, the Saudis have organised an “Arab Islamic American Summit” in Riyadh with leaders from dozens of Muslim countries, as well as the inauguration of a counterterrorism center, fora for business executives and young people, and a country music concert.

President Trump is scheduled to meet King Salman, the Saudi monarch and hold a larger meeting with the leaders of a Gulf coalition, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The US President will also meet more than 50 leaders and representatives from across the Muslim world.

Al-Sisi and Abdullah will attend the Arab-Islamic-US summit on Sunday. Asharq al-Awsat have reported that they expect Trump to meet al-Sisi in Riyadh to discuss resuming Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.