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Saudi deputy FM meets European Commissioner in Brussels

Saudi deputy FM meets European Commissioner in Brussels

Arab News15-07-2025
BRUSSELS: Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji met European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica in Brussels on Tuesday.
The two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in various fields and other topics of common interest, the Foreign Ministry said on X.
Haifa Al-Jadea, head of the Kingdom's mission to the EU, was among the officials in attendance.
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Landmark Saudi-French peace summit signals growing international consensus for Palestinian statehood
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Israel, which faces mounting international pressure over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza — where the UN says starvation is taking hold — also boycotted the meeting. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the wide attendance at the conference proved 'the consensus and the mobilization of the international community around the appeal for an end to the war in Gaza.' He urged participants to view the gathering as 'a turning point — a transformational juncture for implementing the two-state solution.' 'We have begun an unprecedented and unstoppable momentum for a political solution in the Middle East, which is already beginning to bear fruit,' Barrot said, citing tangible steps such as 'recognition of Palestine, normalization and regional integration of Israel, reform of Palestinian governance, and the disarmament of Hamas.' 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Juan Manuel Santos, the former Colombian president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, told the conference that the current Israeli government is 'pursuing a greater Israel through the destruction of Gaza, illegal settlement expansion and the annexation of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.' He called on nations to recognize the State of Palestine, saying it would send a clear message that Israel's 'expansionist agenda will never be accepted and does not serve their true interests.' Intervening on the issue, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa described Gaza as the 'latest and most brutal manifestation' of the crisis. 'The idea that peace can come through the destruction or subjugation of our people is a deadly illusion,' he said, arguing that the Palestinian people — and not Hamas — 'have demonstrated an ironclad commitment to peace in the face of brutal violence.' 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Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Cairo has 'intensified efforts' to end the war, resume aid, and provide security training to forces that could help create the conditions for a viable Palestinian state. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza loomed large over discussions. With the territory's health and food systems in a state of collapse, the UN has warned that famine is already unfolding in parts of the enclave, where hundreds of thousands remain trapped. Despite mounting international pressure, Israel has maintained tight control over land access and aid convoys, increasing the allowance of humanitarian convoys entering the enclave on Sunday — efforts that humanitarian groups say are insufficient, erratic, and dangerous. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the Arab League, warned that 'a new Middle East will never emerge from the suffering of Palestinians.' Peace, he said, will not come through 'starvation, deportation or total suppression,' and cannot exist while occupation and apartheid persist. Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein, former UN high commissioner for human rights, urged the international community to define a clear and pragmatic plan for a new and independent Palestine. 'A vision is not for today's emotional audit,' he said, but for a new tomorrow for both Israel and Palestine. This is why, 'a two-state solution would have to be practical to gain support' and 'wholesale vagueness about the end game is not strategic; it is dangerous.' He advocated for a 'cleverly designed, regionally anchored security arrangement to prevent unilateral abrogation as a first urgent transitional step' in addition to a reconstruction and rehabilitation mission with an international mandate. Addressing delegates, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the conflict had reached a 'breaking point,' and urged a shift from rhetoric to concrete action. 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