CAIRO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi held talks on Wednesday with visiting Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in the Egyptian capital Cairo, where they discussed efforts to reach calm in the Palestinian Gaza Strip and put an end to the ongoing regional tension.
"We agreed on the urgent need to exert and encourage immediate and intensive efforts toward de-escalation, both in the Palestinian territories and at the regional level," the Egyptian president told a joint press conference following their meeting.
Sisi urged the international community to enforce an immediate, urgent and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, end any attempts of coerced displacement, starvation or collective punishment of the Palestinian people, and ensure the full-fledged, unfettered and sustainable flow of sufficient quantities of desperately-needed humanitarian aid and relief to the enclave.
Sisi also highlighted the importance of parallel efforts aimed at reaching a just and enduring political solution to the Palestinian cause, rooted in the two-state solution, and establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
For his part, the Bahraini king said that he agreed with the Egyptian president on the necessity of implementing an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and maintaining humanitarian aid delivery to the enclave, the need for a political path towards a just and lasting peace in the region, as well as the acceptance of Palestine as a full member of the UN.
They have also discussed the agenda of the 33rd Arab Summit that Bahrain will host in May, and the necessity of urgently reaching a clear policy to stop the escalation in the Middle East region, according to the Bahraini king. ■
