UAE seeks political solution to crisis in Syria

Moscow: UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has expressed hope of reaching a political and diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis.

He said it could be achieved only through a unified voice and full international cooperation and efforts.

He said the decisions taken by the Council of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo Monday on the situation in Syria took a lot of deliberations. Within a month it will be a year since the events began unfolding there, Shaikh Abdullah said.

Addressing a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov after their meeting yesterday in Moscow, Shaikh Abdullah said: "Any person who lost his life in these events is an innocent victim without doubt. We condemn the killing of any person in Syria. But we also see that there is a responsibility on any regime or government in any country to maintain stability.

"There is also the responsibility to save those lives and protect their safety. Similarly, the UN Security Council also has a duty to maintain international peace and security," Shaikh Abdullah stressed. He said the Security Council has not listened clearly to the position of the Arab League, which is closer than any other party, culturally, politically and geographically to Syria.

Shaikh Abdullah stressed the need to stop the killings, emphasising that a military solution was a wrong solution as has been proved in the last 11 months.