Egypt hope Europe will play important part in Middle East settlement

Europe should play an active part in the Middle East settlement together with the USA and Russia, said Egypt's ambassador to Russia Reda Shehata at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.

The Middle East conflict rises above the Middle East region with its scale and importance, he believes. He gave a high assessment of the UN role in the settlement as the organization "is a tool able to solve the problem and give exact prescriptions," Shehata said.

Yet, "as Palestine lies to the south of Europe, at the crossroads of main oil deposits, the problem's solution is in Europe's interest," the ambassador pointed out. Europe should play a positive part in the settlement as "the efforts are connected with security in the economic and political spheres," he added.