CAIRO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Tuesday urged the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor.
Abdelatty made the remarks during his meeting in Cairo with Tor Wennesland, the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
During the meeting, the Egyptian minister stressed the need for Israel to accept the return of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to manage the Rafah crossing, which would allow the resumption of the crossing's operation.
He also stressed support for the efforts of the UN coordinator to preserve the status of the PA as the central government for the administration of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Abdelatty reiterated Egypt's commitment to facilitating a ceasefire and delivering humanitarian aid to the strip, emphasizing the importance of enabling all UN agencies, particularly the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, to carry out their responsibilities. ■
