Cyprus Warns Of Further Mideast Unrest If Rafah Military Operation Expands

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) CAIRO, June 4 (KUNA) -- Cyprus' Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos on Tuesday warned of worsening unrest in the Middle East if Israeli occupation forces broaden their military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, pushing for political dialogue as a way out of the conflict.
The two-state solution to the Middle East conflict is the only viable way to bring peace and stability to the wider region, the visiting Cypriot foreign minister told a joint press conference alongside his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, underlining his country's support for an independent Palestinian state.
On the need for the delivery of unimpeded humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, he said Cyprus has opened "maritime" routes in a bid to ratchet up delivery efforts given the status quo in the Palestinian enclave, added the minister.
Reiterating Cairo's "firm rejection" of any Israeli military presence in the city of Rafah, the Egyptian foreign minister vociferously called for an immediate ceasefire there that would allow the subsequent delivery of humanitarian aid, acknowledging Cyprus' contributions towards these efforts.
The Egyptian top diplomat went on to underline how vital the Rafah border crossing is to the delivery of aid into the Gaza Strip, saying that as long as the critical crossing is controlled by Israeli occupation forces, the works of humanitarian aid bodies there will continue to be seriously undermined.
Egypt will remain relentless in its efforts to establish a rigid ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, paving the way for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict based on 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state, the minister emphasized. (end)
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