An orderly transition in Egypt is essential to the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Sunday, February 6, a day after attending a Middle East Quartet meeting.
"Egypt has been playing a very strategic role in the Middle East peace process. President (Hosni) Mubarak was one of the key players in trying to facilitate reconciliation," Ban told reporters in Munich, Germany.
"Overall in the Middle East peace process he has participated and contributed," he said.
"This is what we are concerned about, and that is why we would like to see this transition take place in an orderly and peaceful manner without having any negative sudden impacts on the overall peace and stability in this region."
On Saturday Ban took part in a Quartet meeting in Munich with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, AFP reported.
