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Biden and Egypt’s El-Sisi Discuss Mideast Peace, Renaissance Dam

Biden and Egypt’s El-Sisi Discuss Mideast Peace, Renaissance Dam

President Joe Biden and Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in a telephone call on Monday discussed the latest developments in the Middle East following the Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire agreement.

The two leaders also discussed international efforts to rebuild Gaza strip and a controversial Nile hydropower dam, Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. El-Sisi commented in a Twitter post shortly thereafter.

“I had the pleasure of a long talk with His Excellency President Biden that was characterized by understanding, frankness and credibility in all issues of concern to the two countries and the region,” the Egyptian president said.

Biden indicated during the phone call that the U.S. is determined to work to restore calm and on ways to revive the peace process, according to the Egyptian presidency’s statement.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the giant Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on a Nile River tributary, where El-Sisi welcomed continued U.S. efforts to resolve the issue.

El-Sisi stressed the critical nature of Egypt’s water rights and aim of reaching a fair and binding legal agreement with clear rules for the process of filling and operating the dam, according to statement.

The two leaders also discussed human rights and both agreed to engage in a transparent dialogue between Egypt and the U.S. on this issue, Rady said.

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