UN Secretary General Welcomes Gaza Ceasefire, Urges Cairo Talks

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UNITED NATIONS, August 5 (RIA Novosti) - With another 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza agreed to by Israel and the Palestinian parties, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement urging them to commence, as soon as possible, talks in Cairo on a durable ceasefire and the underlying issues.

UNITED NATIONS, August 5 (RIA Novosti) - With another 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza agreed to by Israel and the Palestinian parties, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement urging them to commence, as soon as possible, talks in Cairo on a durable ceasefire and the underlying issues.

Ban said he welcomes “the proactive engagement of the Palestinian delegation under the leadership of [Palestinian] President Abbas. Such talks are the only way to sustainably stop the violence, which has cost far too many lives, and to change the untenable and tragic status quo in Gaza. The United Nations stands ready to lend its full support to these efforts.”

When the last ceasefire fell apart after less than two hours, Israel declined to go to Cairo for the planned talks. This time it appears that they, as well as Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, will go.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Monday that its president Peter Maurer would begin a three-day mission to Gaza, Israel and the West Bank on August 5 to “see for himself the human cost of the on-going conflict.

The ICRC said Maurer “will be meeting people directly affected by the conflict. In addition, he will be holding talks with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials and with the leadership and volunteers of the Palestine Red Crescent Society and the Magen David Adom Society, the ICRC's main local partners.”

Among the stated topics for the talks in Cairo, beyond lifting the blockage, are the humanitarian crisis and need for reconstruction in Gaza.

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