Egypt is set to affirm its stance on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and the necessity of declaring the Middle East a region free from weapons of mass destruction, specifically nuclear weapons, before two international conferences in Brussels and Geneva. In an official statement on Saturday, Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said that Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry is set to travel on Sunday to Brussels, where he will participate on Monday with the six-party Arab ministers committee on the Jerusalem issue with European Union counterparts at the EU headquarters. Shoukry will then head to Geneva to deliver a speech in front of the UN's Human Rights Council and a UN sponsored Conference of Disarmament. Abu Zeid said the Brussels meeting is a continuation of efforts by the Arab committee to communicate and consult with international parties to deal with the consequences of a controversial US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last December, and its effect on the future of the peace process, as well as exploring ways to revive Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. The Arab move comes in accordance with recent efforts by the European Commission and a number of active European countries to support the Palestinian cause, including the Ad Hoc Liaison meeting held in Brussels last January to coordinate international assistance to Palestinians. "Minister Shoukry's participation in this meeting asserts Egypt's commitment to continue carrying out regional and international efforts in support of the peace process, as well as an invested communication with the Palestinians and Israeli sides and active regional and international partners to resume negotiations based on international legitimacy accords," the statement read. Shoukry will head to Geneva on 26 February to head Egypt's delegation in the United Nation's Human Rights Council's (HRC) 37th session, where he will present efforts by Egypt in the field of human rights and its commitment to the country's 2014 constitution's guarantees for human rights. Shoukry will give a speech discussing Egypt's comprehensive vision on human rights and its economic, social, and political aspects. The speech will also speak about the impact that ongoing conflicts in the Middle East have on human rights conditions, as well as its destructive effect and the close relationship between the growth of terrorism and the enjoyment of human rights. Source: Ahram online
