|
CAIRO, Sept. 24-- China's Special Envoy for Syria Xie Xiaoyan said Sunday that the situation in Syria is headed for a political settlement, while calling for increased cooperation with Egypt on resolving the Syrian crisis. "We have noticed some countries have adjusted their positions on the Syrian issue. I think this presents a good opportunity, a new opportunity to push forward the political settlement," Xie told reporters after meeting with Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs Tarek Al-Kouni. Xie revealed that he discussed with Egyptian officials the current situation in Syria in an attempt to coordinate the efforts to push forward the political process. "The relevant parties' agreement on the establishment of the de-escalation zones is a reflection of the very strong desire of the international community that they wish all the parties in the conflict to try to resolve their differences so they can speed up the process of political settlement," he said. But the envoy emphasized that the establishment of the de-escalation zones must be temporary and should not lead to the separation of Syria. "The independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected and protected," Xie said. On the war against terror, the Chinese envoy hailed the progress achieved so far, while asserting that the fight must continue "because terrorism is a common enemy of the world." | 
