By Manal El Warraky
Ambassador Eric Chevallier, French Ambassador to Cairo, announced that his country will organize a ministerial conference on Syria on February 13.
The French ambassador explained, during a press conference held at the French embassy in Cairo, that the conference is the third of its kind after the conferences held in Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The ambassador said that his country hopes that the transitional phase will proceed in accordance with the aspirations of the Syrian people, and that it will be peaceful and that the pluralism of society in all its spectrums will be respected, as well as women’s rights and the restoration of stability in Syria and for its benefit as well as the region.
He added that there is a message that must be delivered to the Syrian transitional administration during the conference, which will also open the way for the participation of Syrian civil society.
He continued that France is clever and intelligent in delivering messages to the transitional authority in Syria so that the transitional phase can pass peacefully.
He mentioned that France had expressed its happiness at the fall of the former Syrian regime due to the violations that forced half of the people to leave the country.
In another context, the ambassador stressed that his country appreciates and supports Egypt’s mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, stressing his country’s rejection of the displacement of Palestinians.
The French ambassador conveyed his country’s appreciation for the pivotal and major role played by Egypt in resolving crises in the region, noting that Egypt is an essential and indispensable party and player in reaching calm and peace in the region.
The French ambassador described Egypt as a major partner in terms of peace and security in the region, stressing the convergence of views between the two countries on regional issues and that with the start of the second phase negotiations, we hope that they will reach results that achieve calm, expressing thanks to Egypt for the mediation that allowed the release of a French hostage last Saturday.
The ambassador stressed France’s position that rejects any displacement of Palestinians, and this was confirmed by the French Foreign Minister, a position that is consistent with the positions of Egypt and Jordan.
He explained that his country believes it is very important to push towards a political solution, noting that Paris has announced that it will chair, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a conference next June at the United Nations on the two-state solution, and will continue to work on the two-state solution as the only solution to establish security and peace in the region. The French ambassador pointed out that the final statement issued after the Arab Six-Party Meeting in Cairo referred to the importance of the June conference as one of the important steps.
