Secretary General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell met at the Headquarters of the League of Arab States (LAS) in Cairo. They discussed topics of common interest and ongoing cooperation between LAS and the EU.

Both re-confirmed the importance of the LAS-EU partnership, particularly against the background of the fast-paced geopolitical changes. The Secretary General and the HR/VP discussed recent developments in the MENA region and in Europe.

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Particular attention was paid to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. They both expressed concern over the current situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and their commitment to continue to work together in order to bring about peace based on the two-state solution. The HR/VP and Secretary General also exchanged views on the next steps of the trilateral efforts of the EU, LAS and Saudi Arabia in order to enhance the Arab Peace Initiative.

They also discussed issues related to conflicts in Yemen, Libya and Syria.

On Syria, the HR/VP raised the issue of the recent de-freezing of Syria’s membership at the League of Arab States, recalling that the EU’s position on Syria will not change until requisite progress has been achieved on the implementation of UNSCR 2254. He also expressed interest in the work of the Arab Contact Group established for this purpose.  The Secretary General expressed LAS position on the issue and explained the background of the sovereign decision of the LAS Council in this regard.