Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry headed on Sunday evening to the Jordanian capital Amman to participate in a meeting of the committee formed by Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq on Syria. The committee stems from the consultative meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, which was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on April 14, to discuss ways to promote joint Arab action. Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson, said that the committee is scheduled to discuss ways to deal with the Syrian crisis, including strengthening the solidarity of Arab countries with the brotherly Syrian people in overcoming their plight. For his part, the spokesman of the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, Sinan Majali, said that the meeting comes as a complement to the consultative meeting of the GCC, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, hosted by Saudi Arabia. He added that the meeting comes to build on the contacts made by these countries with the Syrian government and in the context of their proposals, and the Jordanian initiative to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis. The Jeddah meeting stressed that a political solution is the only solution to the Syrian crisis, and the importance of having an Arab leadership role in the efforts to end the crisis, developing the necessary mechanisms for this role, and intensifying consultation among Arab countries to ensure the success of these efforts. The ministers agreed on the importance of resolving the humanitarian crisis, providing an appropriate environment for the arrival of aid to all areas in Syria, creating the necessary conditions for the return of Syrian refugees and displaced persons to their areas, ending their suffering, and enabling them to return safely to their homeland. The ministers stressed the importance of combating terrorism in all its forms and organizations, combating drug smuggling and trafficking, and the importance of state institutions maintaining Syria's sovereignty on its territory to end the presence of armed militias there, and foreign interference in the internal affairs of Syria.
