The Ministerial Contact Group on Syria stressed on Tuesday its “seriousness” in dealing with the repercussions of the Syrian crisis.
The group met in the Egyptian capital Cairo and included the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Syria and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
Aboul Gheit’s spokesman Jamal Rushdy said the meeting “reflects the seriousness of Arab countries in playing a major role in resolving the crisis in Syria and its dangerous repercussions,” most notably terrorism, the production and smuggling of drugs and the refugee crisis.
The contact group was formed on May 6 and is comprised of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon and the Arab League secretary general. The latest Arab summit, which was held in Jeddah, had tasked the group with following up on the Arab involvement in resolving the Syrian crisis.
On the sidelines of the Cairo meeting, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held talks with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri.
The officials reviewed bilateral relations between their countries and efforts to bolster cooperation in all fields. They discussed issues of common interest and regional and international developments.
An Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman said Egypt was “proud of the close fraternal relations that bind their countries.”
The FMs discussed the situation in Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Syria. They stressed the need to consolidate Arab solidarity and collective work to resolve crises in the region to preserve security.
The Arab people themselves must be allowed to determine their fate alone to meet their aspirations for stability and achieve progress and prosperity, he added.
The FMs tackled the developments in the Palestinian Territories and Shoukri briefed Prince Faisal on the outcomes of the tripartite summit, hosted by Egypt, and that brought together Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Prince Faisal met with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Miqdad for talks on Syria and the region. They exchanged views on issues of common interest. Prince Faisal later met with Jordanian FM Ayman al-Safadi.
Shoukri also held talks with Miqdad, underlining the keenness of the Ministerial Contact Group on resolving the Syrian crisis and helping the Syrian people overcome their plight.
