CAIRO, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and a visiting delegation of the Palestinian Fatah movement discussed Wednesday the fixation of the Gaza ceasefire and the implementation of the deal items, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
During the meeting, Abdelatty and the Fatah delegation, headed by Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee, and Majdi Al-Khaldi, a diplomatic advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, addressed the implications of the security developments in Gaza and the West Bank.
Abdelatty reviewed the Egyptian efforts and continuous talks for implementing all items of the three-stage ceasefire deal.
He stressed Egypt's support for the Palestinian government and reform efforts, noting the importance of empowering the Palestinian Authority at the political and economic levels.
Abdelatty listened to the evaluation of the Fatah delegation on the ongoing field developments in Gaza and the West Bank, saying, "Egypt backs the rights of the Palestinian people and rejects their displacement or moving outside their land."
For his part, al-Sheikh praised Egypt for its stands and efforts in backing the Palestinian people and their fair cause.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that Abdelatty talked with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the phone late Tuesday on promoting joint efforts to face the diversified regional challenges, especially implementing the Gaza ceasefire.
Abdelatty said the exchange of prisoners and hostages, the permission of Palestinians to return to their homes, and the delivery of sustainable humanitarian aid for Gaza, are basic steps to restoring calm and stability and crystalizing a political formula based on a two-state solution.
Following the phone talks, the U.S. State Department said in a press release that Rubio and Abdelatty discussed the latest developments in Gaza and reiterated the importance of close cooperation to advance post-conflict planning.
On Saturday, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced the completion of the second phase of a prisoner-hostage exchange between Hamas and Israel, implemented under the initial terms of the ceasefire agreement.
The first stage of the six-week ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19. ■