Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke to Al-Ahram daily on March 28 about progress towards the implementation of the Gaza recovery and reconstruction which Egypt put forward. He reported an international conference on the plan is expected to be held “in the coming weeks” and reported that a consensus has been reached on the members of the independent, non-partisan committee which would oversee the administration of the Gaza Strip and oversee humanitarian aid for the first six month transition period of that plan.
Asked by Al-Ahram what are the next steps by which Egypt, Arab, and Islamic nations can block Israel’s intent to move the Palestinians out, Abdelatty insisted on the early implementation of the Gaza reconstruction plan. “Following the broad international endorsement of the Gaza reconstruction plan, the next step is to hold an international conference in Cairo in the coming weeks, in partnership with the United Nations and the Palestinian government, to mobilize necessary support and funding for early recovery and reconstruction projects,” he said. All donors and international parties keen to participate in and support the plan will be invited, and “we expect the conference to translate such support and enthusiasm into precise mechanisms and commitments,” he specified.
