Any help welcome on Syria: Egyptian Embassy CDA in Damascus

CAIRO – 24 June 2017: Any role or help international powers can offer regarding settling the Syrian crisis will be welcome, Chargé d'affaires of the Egyptian Embassy in Damascus, Mohamed Tharwat, said Saturday.

“We believe that the Syrian crisis will not come to an end except through dialogue and contacts,” Tharwat said in statements to Syrian newspaper Al-Watan. He added that Egypt is backing all attempts to resolve the crisis whether through the Geneva or Astana dialogues.

“Time has proven that a military solution is not going to work regarding the Syrian crisis; we need to know that there is no winner or loser in this case. Hence a political solution is the only solution,” Tharwat said.

Earlier in January, Kazakhstan’s capital Astana hosted new talks on Syria’s political future. Several rounds were held with the participation of several international delegations including Russia, Iran, Turkey and representatives of both the Syrian regime and the opposition.

During the last round of talks, a memo was signed by the participating delegations on relieving tension in Syria.

In May, Russia drafted a proposal for creating four zones to reduce tension in Syria including Idlib province, north of the city of Homs, East Ghouta, and south of the country.

On Monday, June 19, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the new round of Astana talks will be held on July 10.

The Syrian political situation has been escalating since the protests that emerged with the Arab Spring revolutions, as the opposition created the “Free Syrian Army” to face Assad’s forces. The situation worsened when the Islamic State group interfered in the country. About 320,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the war.