SAO PAULO: Brazil’s President Lula da Silva and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and discussed the importance of resuming a peace process in the Middle East.
Lula was on an official state visit to Cairo, celebrating 100 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. It was his second visit to Egypt, the first having been in 2003.
“At a time when we should be talking about increasing food production for the world, about economic growth, about income distribution, we are talking about war. War does not benefit anyone. It brings death, destruction, and suffering,” said Lula, calling again for reform of global governance institutions.
“It is regrettable that the multilateral institutions created to resolve these situations do not work.”
El-Sisi said: “We agree that an immediate and sustained ceasefire is very important, as is the need to get humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza.
“We are thinking especially of the post-war phase, which requires the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and I thank the Brazilian president for recognizing the Palestinian state.”
Lula stressed the need to modify the structure of the UN Security Council, which has been unable to prevent conflicts such as those in Ukraine and Gaza, and in which veto powers have been used.
He said many of the most recent wars have been started by nations that are council members.
“It is urgent to establish a definitive ceasefire that allows for the provision of sustainable and unimpeded humanitarian aid, and the immediate and unconditional release of hostages,” Lula said, adding that Brazil is “opposed to attempts at the forced displacement of the Palestinian people.
“For these reasons, among others, Brazil has expressed its support for the proceedings instituted in the International Court of Justice by South Africa ... There will be no peace without a Palestinian state, living side by side with Israel, within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders.”
Lula thanked the Egyptian government for its help in enabling the return of 117 Brazilian Palestinians who had been stranded in Gaza since the start of the conflict.
During the meeting, El-Sisi confirmed that he would go to Brazil in November, both to participate as an invited leader of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, and for an official visit to the country at Lula’s invitation.
It will be the first time an Egyptian president has visited Brazil in 11 years, since Mohamed Morsi’s visit in 2013. The intention is to expand bilateral trade.
Lula said the admission of Egypt as a member of the BRICS Bank represents a milestone in effective collaboration between emerging economies.
“Our coordination with other developing nations is essential for the success of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), which we will host in Brazil in 2025. And we will need a lot of help and experience from Egypt, which hosted COP27 in 2022,” he added.
