PARIS – France has proposed a resolution with the United Nations Security Council, in coordination with Egypt and Jordan, calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict, said the president’s office late yesterday.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is here for summits on Africa, agreed on the resolution in a videoconference with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, said the statement.
“The three countries agreed on three simple elements: the shooting must stop, the time has come for a ceasefire, and the UN Security Council must take up the issue,” said Elysee Palace.
France, which has been calling for a rapid ceasefire for several days, said it supports mediation led by Egypt.
Macron on Monday underlined the importance of Egyptian mediation after talks here with Sisi, a key ally and defence client of France despite activists’ concerns about Cairo’s rights record.
The Security Council has failed to adopt a simple declaration on the conflict, with the United States, a staunch Israel ally, having rejected three prior statement drafts proposed by China, Norway and Tunisia that called for an end to the fighting.
China’s UN ambassador, Zhang Jun, said during a closed-door meeting, members “heard the proposal made by our French colleague in the (Security) Council, and for China, definitely, we are supportive of all effort facilitating the ending of the crisis and the coming back of peace in the Middle East”. – AFP, May 19, 2021
