Arab and European foreign ministers welcomed Tuesday the agreement signed by various Syrian opposition groups for forming a new opposition coalition.

After their meeting at the Cairo-based Arab League (AL) on the latest developments in Syria and the Palestinian issue, foreign ministers of Arab and European countries issued a declaration called Cairo Declaration, welcoming the formation of the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces, and calling all Syrian opponents to join this body to represent all factions of the Syrian society.

The coalition was established after a formal agreement was signed Sunday evening in the Qatari capital Doha by Moaz al-Khatib, the newly-elected head of the united entity, and George Sabra, new chief of major opposition group the Syrian National Council (SNC).

The declaration, which Xinhua obtained a copy of it, stressed the full support for the mission of UN-AL joint special representative to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, calling on the new coalition to hold expanded talks with him, in a bid to achieve a peaceful transition.

The foreign ministers also expressed their concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Syria, calling on all parties to enforce a ceasefire.

On the Palestinian issue, the declaration called for removing all obstacles that prevent the immediate resumption of negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis. They also voiced concern over the escalating Israeli action on the Gaza Strip, hailing Egypt's efforts which aim at reaching a ceasefire in the region.

On Monday, the AL recognized the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces as the "representative of the aspirations of Syrian people."

About 43 Arab and European countries took part in Tuesday's meeting. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Lakhdar Brahimi also attended the meeting.

Arab and European foreign ministers will hold their next joint meeting in Brussels in 2014, which will be the third of its kind. They first met in Malta in 2008.

The meetings come within a framework of dialogue between Arab countries and the EU.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)