Egypt's Prime Minister to Attend 'Peace Council' Meeting While Vatican Announces No Participation

SadaNews - The Egyptian government stated in a statement that Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly headed to Washington on Tuesday to participate in the inaugural meeting of the "Peace Council" established by President Donald Trump.

Madbouly is attending the meeting on behalf of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, accompanied by Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atti.

In addition, the Vatican announced on Tuesday that it would not participate in the "Peace Council" and considered that there are aspects that "raise confusion" regarding Italy's decision to participate as an observer.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters after a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, "The Vatican will not participate in the Peace Council chaired by Donald Trump, due to its special nature which clearly differs from that of other countries."

He added, "We noted that Italy will participate as an observer" in the inaugural meeting on Thursday in Washington, mentioning that "there are points that raise some confusion... and there are critical points that need clarification."

Parolin noted that "one of the concerns is that the United Nations is the main entity managing these crises at the international level."

For his part, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday that "Italy's absence from discussions on peace, security, and stability in the Mediterranean would not only be politically incomprehensible but would also contradict the text and spirit of Article Eleven of our Constitution, which states a rejection of war as a means to resolve conflicts."

Like other European countries, Italy was invited to join the "Peace Council" established by Trump. However, Meloni declined the invitation, citing that participation would pose constitutional issues.