Cairo Slams Un Official's Comments On Egypt's Gaza Stance

Egypt's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned UN Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Robert Serry for describing the policies of both Egypt and Israel vis-à-vis the Gaza Strip as a "failure."



"It's Egypt's right to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of its borders and citizens. It is a fundamental, sovereign right that cannot be compromised," Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Ati said in a statement.



The ministry statement came in response to comments by Serry in which he urged both Egypt and Israel to revisit what he described as their "failed policies" vis-à-vis the blockaded Gaza Strip.



Abdel-Ati said Serry's comments had included "fallacies" and "revealed attempts to blame his failure to accomplish his mission in Gaza on others."



He went on to accuse the UN coordinator of "failing to convince Israel – as the occupying force with legal responsibility for the Gaza Strip – to permit the entry of sufficient amounts of basic commodities and construction material through the six border crossings [with Gaza] under its control."



"Instead, he's trying to blame his failure on Egypt by referring to the Rafah crossing," Abdel-Ati added.



In a statement following a two-day visit to Gaza, Serry said Gaza's main problem was a "purely political" one, which "must be dealt with as part of ending the [Israeli] occupation and achieving a two-state solution."



He went on to stress his belief that "there can be no peace without fulfilling Gaza's needs."



On Oct. 24, Egypt closed the Rafah border crossing – Gaza's only access to the outside world that is not controlled by Israel – following an attack on an army site in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in which 31 Egyptian troops were killed.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kahire