Pakistan, Egypt should work together to end Syria crisis: Zardari

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says Egypt and Pakistan should ‘work together’ to end the crisis in Syria, which is gripped by an ongoing conflict.

In a meeting with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in Islamabad on Monday, Zardari called for an immediate cessation of the violence and foreign intervention in the crisis-hit Arab state.

Zardari also called for “a peaceful solution to the crisis.” He highlighted that “the drive for peace in Syria must be led and owned by the Syrian people and offered Pakistan’s readiness to play its role.”

Unrest has gripped Syria for nearly two years and clashes continue between the Syrian army and the foreign-backed militant groups.

Many people, including large numbers of Syrian army and security personnel, have been killed in the turmoil.

Damascus says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a large number of militants are foreign nationals.

In an interview recently broadcast on German television, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that the government did not start the conflict and the militant groups were the ones killing Syrian citizens and destroying the country’s infrastructure.