Egypt’s Mursi Opposes Invasion of Syria

Urges Both Sides to Come Together for Negotiated Settlement

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi may have been a very public critic of the Assad regime in Syria, condemning them during his speech at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), but that doesn’t mean he’s on the bandwagon for a NATO or GCC invasion of the nation.

In his speech today to the UN General Assembly, Mursi made it clear he opposes any foreign military intervention in Syria’s ongoing civil war, and instead urged the two sides to come together and negotiate a settlement.

“Egypt is committed to pursue the sincere efforts it has been exerting to put an end to the catastrophe in Syria within an Arab, regional and international framework,” he insisted.

Mursi was trying to put together a collection of Middle Eastern nations with influence to pressure both Assad and the rebels to return to the negotiating table, but so far doesn’t seem to have gone very far.

The UN’s new Special Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi has also been trying to restart negotiations, but neither rebels nor regime seem to be in a talking mood lately, instead both sides are promising military victory.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.