Activities of the Secretary-General in Egypt, 2-5 March

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, arrived in Cairo from New York on Monday, 3 March.

He first held a meeting with António Costa, President of the European Council.  They discussed cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union on various issues of global importance.

On Tuesday, 4 March, the Secretary-General met with João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola and Chair of the African Union.  They exchanged views on peace and security issues and developments across the continent.

Afterwards, the Secretary-General had a bilateral meeting with General Joseph Aoun, President of Lebanon.  They discussed the latest developments in Lebanon, the situation in the region and the importance of the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General met with Ahmad Hussein al-Sharaa of Syria.  They exchanged views about the historic opportunity to chart a new course for Syria, as well as the challenges facing the country.

Later, the Secretary-General addressed the Extraordinary Arab Summit on the situation in the Middle East/Gaza.  He said that “this Summit is an important signal that the world has a collective responsibility to support efforts to end this war, relieve profound human suffering and secure lasting peace”.  He added that “we need a clear political framework that lays the foundation for Gaza’s recovery, reconstruction and lasting stability” and “that framework must be based on principles and respect for international law”.

The Secretary-General departed Cairo on 4 March, and arrived in New York early on Wednesday, 5 March.