Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday said he and President Joe Biden discussed U.S. efforts to halt hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and expressed optimism that a ceasefire could be reached in the next weeks.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 30, 2024. Reuters/Nathan Howard
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday said he and President Joe Biden discussed U.S. efforts to halt hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and expressed optimism that a ceasefire could be reached in the next weeks.
Christodoulides, speaking after his meeting with Biden at the White House, said the two leaders discussed the U.S. efforts, but declined to give any details.
White House officials Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein will visit Israel on Thursday to engage on a range of issues "including Gaza, Lebanon, hostages, Iran and broader regional matters," a U.S. official said earlier.
Two sources told Reuters that the U.S. proposal would start with a 60-day ceasefire to allowing full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to keep southern Lebanon free of arms outside state control.
"The situation changes every day. Today, I'm kind of optimistic that we can reach a ceasefire in the next one, two weeks," Christodoulides said, underscoring the urgency of ending the fighting in the region.
Christodoulides said Cyprus, a member of the European Union, was sending humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and stood ready to evacuate third country nationals in the region if needed.
He said he had spoken recently with the leaders of Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon about the situation there, calling the push for a ceasefire in the region the most important concern.
Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Jasper Ward
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein said the situation in Syria, where rebels are pressing a rapid advance that is threatening President Bashar al-Assad's grip on power, was creating a new weakness for militant Lebanese group Hezbollah and for Iran.
Qatar is engaging with the incoming Trump administration on Gaza after sensing a new momentum with the administration on ceasefire talks, Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Saturday.
Lebanese armed group Hezbollah sent a small number of "supervising forces" from Lebanon to Syria overnight to help prevent anti-government fighters from seizing the strategic city of Homs, two senior Lebanese security sources said on Friday.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.