Egypt’s interim President Adli Mansour told a US Congress delegation that Egypt does not support an individual US decision on a military attack on Syria, state news agency MENA reported.
“Egypt does not understand the US’s insistence on acting individually, without the approval of the UN Security Council and without commitment to international legitimacy,” he said, according to a presidential statement published by MENA.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said on 29 August that Egypt will not “partake in any military strikes against Syria” adding that it is strongly opposed “to any foreign military intervention in Syria.”
Last week, US President Barack Obama said he would seek the approval of Congress before starting a “limited and narrow” military intervention in Syria after a chemical attack, attributed by many including the US to the Syrian regime, killed hundreds. Congress is expected to meet on 9 September.
The UN-Arab League special envoy for Syria said Wednesday that international military action in the country cannot go ahead without approval by the UN Security Council.
The eight-member delegation from the US, headed by US Representative Dana Rohrabacher, arrived in Cairo early on Thursday. The group met with President Mansour and military chief and defence minister Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in two separate meetings.
According to Mansour’s statement, the delegation said it “appreciates” the country’s transitional roadmap and “praised” the interim government’s avoidance of “revenge and exclusion.”
It added that the delegation “understands the critical phase Egypt is passing through” and that it hopes the country’s current leadership succeeds in fulfilling the people’s aspirations.
Mansour said, according to the statement, that the Egyptian people hope to see the US standing by their will.
Source: Al-Ahram Online
