Egypt has sent an emergency shipment of 14 tonnes of flour to Lebanon on Wednesday to support the country's strategic stockpile of grains after last week's devastating explosion in the capital Beirut. The plane is the fourth aid shipment to arrive in the Arab country from Cairo. The Egyptian Embassy in Lebanon said the delivery was sent to strengthen Lebanon's strategic reserves of wheat and to ensure the flow of bread to the public. Lebanon's main grain silo was destroyed in the blast. Egypt has taken several steps to provide assistance to Lebanon, including providing airlift and sealift to deliver medical aid, food, specialised medical teams, and construction materials. Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Yasser Elwi told Ahram Online on Tuesday that the sealift includes a "giant vessel carrying a shipment of glass, aluminum and marble set to arrive in Beirut within days to help restore blast-damaged buildings." The massive warehouse explosion in Beirut's port, the biggest in the city's history, killed at least 171 people, injured 6,000 and left as many as 300,000 homeless. Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said Cairo was looking forward to a "new phase" of political activity. In comments to state-owned news agency MENA, Shoukry called for a "new approach" to deal with crises weighing down the country in a way that preserves its sovereignty and stability. He stressed the importance of "avoiding regional tensions" that would further compound the country's woes. During his visit, Shoukry held a series of meetings with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Lebanese political leaders representing different parties and factions, and Lebanese parliament speaker and leader of Shia Amal Movement Nabih Berry. He also held talks With President of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt, and former prime ministers Saad Hariri, Fouad Seniora, and Tammam Sallam.
