Russia, Egypt want ‘political’ solution to Syria war

Israeli soldiers stand on top of a Merkava tank stationed in the Israeli annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria. AFP FILE PHOTO

CAIRO, Egypt- Russia and Egypt insisted Thursday a political solution is the only way to end Syria’s war, with Moscow’s top diplomat calling for peace talks to be staged as soon as possible.

Russia wants an “international conference as soon as possible to open a political dialogue” that can resolve the Syrian crisis, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a visit to Cairo.

Lavrov said a political solution to the war would also help to bring stability to the region.

Nabil Fahmy, the foreign minister in Egypt’s interim administration, said for his part that Cairo was against any military intervention in Syria.

“We call upon all to work on a political solution” to end the war, he said

The 32-month conflict in Syria has killed more than 120,000 people, uprooted millions from their homes and trapped tens of thousands of civilians in besieged enclaves.

The war-hit country’s main opposition bloc, the National Coalition, said Monday it would attend a Geneva peace conference on the condition President Bashar al-Assad quits office and is excluded from any transition process.

But the Syrian regime insists Assad’s departure from power is not up for discussion, while expressing willingness to attend the proposed peace talks.