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Egypt's Sisi says Putin willing to host Palestinian-Israeli peace talks

Xinhua, August 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is willing to host Israeli and Palestinian leaders for direct peace talks, state-run Ahram newspaper reported on Monday.

Sisi's comments came during a briefing with the country's three national newspapers late on Sunday.

"President Putin told me he is ready to host the Palestinian president and the Israeli prime minister for direct peace talks in Moscow," Sisi was quoted as saying.

He did not mention when and where Putin expressed his willingness to host negotiations.

Last peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians were sponsored by the United States in 2014, lasted for nine months and ended in April without reaching an agreement to end their conflict that has been going on for decades.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian president said his country supports all efforts meant to push forward the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

"Our relations with both sides enable us to play a vital role to find a way out," he stressed.

Sisi urged rival Palestinian groups to reconcile in efforts to accelerate the building of the long-awaited independent Palestinian state.

Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979. The two countries had since cooperated on security and diplomatic affairs.

In mid-May, Sisi urged both the Palestinians and the Israelis to take historic steps towards peace, saying that if efforts are combined, a solution can be reached "to find hope for the Palestinians and security for the Israelis."

Weeks after his statements, Sisi sent Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to Tel Aviv where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and had lengthy discussions on resuming peace negotiations.

A recent French initiative to bring both sides to negotiations managed to hold an international conference in Paris earlier in June at the level of foreign ministers, but the whole idea was declined by Israel that prefers direct talks with the Palestinians without international pressures.

However, Sisi's mediation seems to appeal more to the Israeli side as Netanyahu did not hesitate to welcome the Egyptian approach to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Pressure to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict comes after almost one year of ongoing violence which claimed the lives of dozens in both sides. Endit