Sorour confers with the Belgian Parliament Speaker
Egypt-Belgium, Politics, 4/10/2002

Egyptian People's Assembly Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sorour conferred yesterday with Belgian Parliament Speaker Herman Decroo and his accompanying delegation on Egyptian-Belgian relations, especially the Parliamentary.

During the meeting, Sorour lauded the Belgian Parliament stances supportive of the Palestinians' rights, he affirmed the Palestinians' right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Meanwhile, Sorour condemned the Israeli violations of human rights laws in the Palestinian territories that were emphasized in the report of the international human rights committee for 2001.

Sorour called for activating the European role in the Middle East crisis, explaining that European interests were closely related to the stability and security of the region.

Decroo, on his part, lauded the role played by Egypt under the leadership of President Hosni Mubarak in order to give impetus to the Middle East peace process.

He pointed out that Europe was dealing with the U.S. in an attempt to push forward the peace process, curb the Israeli violence and start negotiations between the two sides.

The Belgian speaker attended earlier in the day a parliamentary session. During the session, he stressed his country's support for the steps taken by Egypt to back the Palestinian people and stop the cycle of violence.

Decroo on Tuesday called for sending international forces for the border areas between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

The Belgian official, in statements after meeting with Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, said that these forces should be deployed particularly in areas of ceasefire.

He criticized the Israeli stance towards the European efforts in the region.

Israel's banning of the European delegation from visiting Palestinian President Yasser Arafat had a negative response in Europe, he said, noting that the European countries did not stop diplomatic efforts for settling the Middle East issue.

On the European role, Decroo said that Europe could contribute to restoring confidence between Palestinians and Israel. He added that Israel had prevented a European delegation from meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and this brought about a negative consequence. However, he noted Europe would not halt its diplomatic efforts.

Previous Stories:
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  Maher Summons Belgium's ambassador in Cairo   (8/8/2001)
  Egyptian-Jordanian initiative mirrors positive spirit of Sharm El-Sheikh understanding   (5/2/2001)

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