Løkke: Extend ceasefire further

The ceasefire in Gaza, which was added two extra days on Monday, should be extended further, according to Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen ahead of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels Tuesday. “I am very pleased that yesterday we managed to extend the four-day ceasefire for another two days. I would like to express the hope that two days will become more. This could free all hostages. Including the Danish citizen who is held hostage in Gaza. And it will also create the opportunity for emergency aid to come in,” said Lars Løkke Rasmussen. He adds that, in his view, the desire is shared “very widely” among EU countries.
     “I have just come from a meeting on Monday where we were a number of EU foreign ministers together with some of the core nations in the area. In other words, countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. They play a very constructive role, and they have a desire to normalise relations with Israel,” says Lars Løkke Rasmussen. He points out that Jordan made peace with Israel 30 years ago, while Saudi Arabia was well on its way to doing the same. “This is probably one of the reasons why Hamas carried out its terror attack. To ruin that process. That region does not need that. It needs peace and stability,” says Løkke. He emphasises that Denmark condemns Hamas’s attacks and supports Israel’s right to “do away with” Hamas. But he adds: “Permanent safety and security will only come when this is contained, the humanitarian catastrophe averted, and there are long-term solutions.” /ritzau/