Egypt welcomes UN-backed peace talks in Syria

Egypt has backed a new set of peace talks in Syria, proposed by UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, according to a ministerial statement released on Tuesday.

In a post on its official Facebook page, Egypt’s foreign ministry called on all parties to participate in the planned dialogue, which aims at ending the country’s four-year civil war.

“Egypt endorses the roadmap which was proposed by the Syrian opposition forces who met in Cairo in June, as it will lead to the necessary negotiated political solution,” the ministry’s spokesman Ahmed Abu-Zeid said, according to the statement.

Egypt has been advocating a political solution in war-torn Syria, trying to ensure the country’s unity and independence. The foreign ministry hosted a meeting of opposition forces in Cairo in June, at which the establishment of a transitional governing body were discussed.

The UN Security Council and 14 member states agreed to support the new peace talks in Syria on Monday.

Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, announced that Moscow will not accept any peace talks in Syria which do not involve President Bashar Al-Assad.

According to Human Rights Watch, at least 240,000 people have been killed in Syria since March 2011, when protests against the Assad regime broke out.

source:Ahram Online