Egypt concerned about military escalation in Syria, Sisi tells France’s Macron
In a statement, Sisi’s official spokesman Bassam Rady said the Egyptian president received a phone call on Saturday from his French counterpart, in which they discussed the Syrian crisis and the situation in the Middle East.
Sisi highlighted Egypt’s firm stance in rejecting of any use of internationally prohibited weapons on Syrian territory, pointing to the importance of conducting an international, transparent investigation over the matter in accordance with international accords.
Macron explained to Sisi the goals of a strike carried out last week by the US, UK, France against Syrian targets, stressing that it came under a framework of international legitimacy, and as a response to a violation to an international ban on the use of chemical weapons.
Last week, the US, Britain and France carried out a wave of punitive strikes against Bashar Al-Assad’s Syrian regime in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack on Douma, a rebel-held suburb in eastern Ghouta, near Damascus.
El-Sisi said a military escalation in Syria could lead to a deterioration of the situation and complications, which will affect the Syrian people.
Rady added that the two counterparts voiced their support for efforts exerted to resolve the Syrian crisis politically, affirming the importance of a participation by Arab states and permanent members in the UN Security Council in the matter.
They also spoke about boosting joint efforts to combat terrorism, with Egypt set to participate in the International Conference on Combating Terrorist Financing, which will be held in French capital of Paris on 26 April.
Both parties agreed on continued intensive consultation and coordination, and the statement added that Macron has ordered his foreign affairs minister to visit Cairo at the end of April for joint talks. Source: Ahram Online
