Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr met with leaders of the Syrian opposition abroad Thursday on the sidelines of their conference in Doha, Qatar.
Amr asserted during his meeting with Syrian National Council head Abdel Baset Sida and other council members that Egypt prioritizes uniting the Syrian opposition and is hoping that the conference can advance this goal, according to a ministry spokesperson.
A four-day meeting that opened Sunday was plagued by divisions ahead of the talks. The Thursday meetings aim at forging an anti-Assad coalition from rebel groups inside Syria and politicians in exile, principally the disparate factions of the Syrian National Council.
Egypt is willing to play the role of a mediator between Syrian opposition factions to reach a solution, spokesperson Amr Roshdy quoted the minister as saying.
Egypt will continue exerting efforts to stop the bloodshed in Syria, achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people and bring about an orderly transition of power that ensures the preservation of national unity, the minister reportedly said.
Egypt will continue sending humanitarian aid to the Syrian people and there is a donation campaign underway in Egyptian banks, the ministry said.
Sida reportedly thanked the Egyptian authorities and people for their efforts, especially civil society organizations and the Doctors Syndicate for providing humanitarian aid.
The Doha meeting was originally scheduled in October for the SNC’s general assembly. It was later delayed to November after the umbrella organization was flooded by requests from groups wanting to join it. The conference enjoys wide international and regional support.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
