Egyptian FM, Blinken discuss Mideast escalation over phone

CAIRO, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed on Monday the ongoing escalation in the Middle East and ways to contain it.

During a phone conversation, Abdelatty briefed Blinken on the contacts he had made with the foreign ministers of a number of countries in the region, including Iran and Lebanon, as well as some European countries, with the aim of containing the ongoing escalation in the region, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The top Egyptian diplomat also stressed the need for all parties to exercise self-restraint, and spare the region the risks of instability and threats to the interests of its peoples.

He called on Blinken to pressure Israel to stop practicing "the brinkmanship policy" and engage seriously with real political will in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

The two ministers touched on the ceasefire negotiations and the efforts made by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States in this regard, the statement said.

They also agreed to continue efforts and coordination to encourage the parties to reach a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible.