No Egyptian İnitiative On Syria: Opposition Figure

President of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, Hadi al-Bahra, said Thursday that Egypt had not yet officially proposed an initiative for reaching a peaceful settlement of the ongoing Syria crisis.



Speaking at a press conference in Egyptian capital Cairo following a meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi, al-Bahra said that Egyptian officials had closely followed the situation in Syria, along with peace initiatives tabled by other powers.



On Wednesday, Cairo-based coalition member Bassam al-Malek said that al-Bahra planned to ask Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri to formulate an initiative aimed at ending the Syria crisis.



Al-Malek told Anadolu Agency that he had met with Abdel-Rahman Salah, Egypt's assistant foreign minister for Arab affairs, and told him that Egypt could mediate a settlement of the crisis.



At a Thursday meeting with al-Arabi, members of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces renewed calls for taking Syria's seat at the Arab League, which has remained vacant since late 2011.



"We are permanently following this issue," al-Bahra said at the press conference, referring to Syria's Arab League seat. "Discussions now, however, are focused more on the humanitarian situation inside Syria."



Syria has been battered by civil war for about four years. The crisis has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions of others, both inside and outside the country.



By Gomaa Moselhi



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kahire