Egypt FM discusses Syria with French counterpart

By Mohamed al-Rayyes

CAIRO (AA) - Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Friday had a phone conversation with French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, with whom he discussed political developments relating to Syria.

According to a Foreign Ministry statement, the two men agreed on the need to coordinate efforts between their two countries with a view to “encouraging Syria’s political process and preserving the unity of the Syrian state and its institutions”.

Shoukry, the statement explained, "briefed his French counterpart on Egypt's assessment of ongoing efforts to reactivate Syria’s political process with a particular focus on UN-backed peace talks in Geneva and the Russia-backed Sochi talks slated for later this month”.

Le Drian, for his part, said Paris was keen to step up coordination with Cairo, especially vis-à-vis Syria, according to the ministry statement.

A ninth round of UN-backed Geneva peace talks kicked off on Thursday attended by delegations from both the Syrian regime and opposition.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.