Syria and Lebanon should not be allowed to develop into a new "hotspot of tension" in the Middle East, Egypt's foreign minister said on Wednesday.
"We have a difficult situation in Iraq and in the Palestinian territory," Ahmed Aboul Gheit said. "We cannot allow another hotspot of tension to develop."
The comment comes as Saad Hariri called for an international trial for suspects in his father and former prime minister Rafik Al Hariri's assassination.
"We could not carry out the investigation and requested the help of the UN. Of course we will demand an international trial," Hariri told reporters in Cairo.
The call comes days ahead of the expected release of a UN report on the death of Hariri, which the younger Hariri described as a "big crime".
Meanwhile, Gheit said tension between Lebanon and Syria must be "relieved" because the Middle East needs "stability, development and peace".
Gheit denied that his country was mediating between Washington and Damascus, which Lebanon blames for Hariri's death.
Instead, he said, Egypt was offering analysis and advice in order to prevent new tensions in the Middle East.
Gheit also said foreign troops must be withdrawn in Iraq, and that it was important that a "normal, independent" government be established in the country.
Gheit was in Russia to discuss with Russian officials the Middle East peace process, and the prospect of UN sanctions against Syria, which has long been allied with Russia.
