Angola: President João Lourenço Addresses Gaza Situation With UN Secretary General

Cairo — The current situation in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, generated by the armed conflict between Hamas and Israel, was under analysis on Tuesday in the city of Cairo, Egypt, during the meeting between the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres.

João Lourenço, Chairman of the African Union (AU) is in Cairo to participate today in the extraordinary summit of the Arab League, convened by the Egyptian Head of State, Fatah Al-Sisi, to assess the situation in the Gaza Strip and its contours in the present and immediate future.

Approached by the press at the end of the meeting of about 20 minutes, António Guterres highlighted the importance of the meeting he had with João Lourenço, given the moment of uncertainty regarding the future of Palestine.

'There is an Arab initiative of the utmost importance and I believe it is very significant that the African Union is here through the voice of President João Lourenço and there is a total identity of views between the AU and the United Nations,' said the UN secretary-general, who will also participate in the work of the summit.

For António Guterres, there is a very important initiative by the Arab world to avoid what would be a tragedy for the population of Gaza, if they were forced to leave their motherland or if the war resumed.

The event was convened to discuss recent developments related to the Palestinian issue, especially in response to US President Donald Trump's plan to transfer Gazans to Egypt and Jordan, placing Palestinian territory under US control.

Egypt, the host of the summit, has drawn up an integrated plan for the rapid recovery and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which will be presented during the meeting.

This plan aims to involve Palestinian citizens of Gaza in the reconstruction process and reaffirms Egypt's support for Palestinian rights, including the right to self-determination and independence with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The convening of this summit comes in a context of widespread rejection by Arab countries of Trump's plan.

Nations such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan have expressed opposition to the proposal, while the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called it 'ethnic cleansing.'

It is hoped that the summit will result in a unified position of the Arab countries against any measures aimed at displacing the Palestinian people from their lands, reaffirming their commitment to a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question. AFL/ART/DOJ

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