Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed coordination on regional and international issues and efforts to resolve regional crises, on the sidelines of the high-level segment of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The Arab League said in a statement that escalating tensions in the region dominated the talks, with both sides stressing that containing the escalation requires serious international action to address its underlying causes rather than merely manage its consequences.
Fahmy highlighted the impact of the escalation on the security and stability of the Arab region, international shipping, energy security and global trade. He reaffirmed the Arab League's solidarity with its member states in safeguarding their security and sovereignty and protecting vital infrastructure.
He also stressed that freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea is a firmly established principle of international law that must be upheld under all circumstances.
The talks also covered developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and escalating Israeli violations in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem
Fahmy stressed the need for Israel to comply with international law and international humanitarian law, and said broad international recognition of the State of Palestine must be followed by concrete steps towards ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He reaffirmed that Gaza is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory and rejected any arrangements that would separate it from the West Bank.
The two sides also discussed developments in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Libya, as well as the deteriorating situation in Sudan. They renewed their call for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of safe corridors for humanitarian aid to ease the suffering of the Sudanese people and prevent further deterioration of the crisis.
