Egyptian FM calls for Assad to leave office

OUT OF CONTEXT: Syrian state television neglects to mention Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minster Nabil Fahmi’s call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave office in its news bulletin,

ignoring the fact that the Egyptian official had just concluded a meeting with Coalition president Ahmad al-Jarba.

The Egyptian ministry “considers a political solution to be the best and the only solution to maintain the sovereignty of Syria,” says Fahmi in the sole quote played on Syrian state television.

Denying reports that Cairo was in the process of reassessing its relationship with Damascus in the wake of the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, Fahmi stressed Egyptian support for Syrian freedom.

“Egypt will continue supporting the Syrian revolution until a state that fulfills the ambitions of the Syrian people and a democratic modern state is established,” said Fahmi.

“There are no intentions for jihad in Syria,” said Fahmi drawing a distinction between Cairo’s current Syria policy and that of his predecessor under Morsi.

Fahmi dismissed the importance of reports in the Egyptian media about the role of Syrian refugees in violent pro-Morsi demonstrations, declaring that these “incidents do not represent the Syrian people as a whole or even the Syrian Coalition, and will be addressed individually independently from our commitment to the Syrian cause,” said Fahmi.

After meeting the foreign minister, Coalition leader Ahmed Jarba reassured Syrians that recent entry restrictions into Egypt were a temporary measure not aimed at them alone.

“Egypt is the second home for Syrians,” said the Coalition leader.

Video courtesy of Syrian state television.