Wadephul calls for action on Gaza peace plan
Ahead of his trip to the Gulf region, the foreign minister is urging international cooperation to implement the US peace initiative.
Berlin (dpa) – Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called on partners in the EU and the Gulf region to make a concerted effort to ensure the success of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. “To put the US plan into action swiftly, what’s needed now is hands-on international cooperation,” he said before departing for Qatar and Kuwait. “The signals of recent days give me confidence that Israel’s government and Hamas are ready to take the necessary steps. But it will still require the help of all those who can bring their influence to bear.”
Talks on Trump’s peace plan are scheduled to take place in Egypt on Monday, reportedly with mediators involved. According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, representatives of Israel and Hamas will be received to discuss a range of issues including the exchange of Israeli hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.
Wadephul said Trump’s peace plan offered “a unique opportunity,” not least because Arab and Muslim countries had been involved in its creation and were therefore supporting it. “After two terrible years of violence and destruction, this major opportunity must now be seized,” said the foreign minister.