Egypt not mulling Arab intervention in Syria

Spokesman for presidency dismisses earlier reports that Egypt was considering Qatari proposal for Arab military intervention in Syria Presidential spokesman Yasser Ali on Sunday denied media reports that Egypt had agreed to Arab military intervention in violence-wracked Syria. Earlier on Sunday, Seif Abdel-Fattah, an aide to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, reportedly told the Turkish Anadoul news agency that Egypt was considering a Qatari proposal for Arab military intervention in Syria aimed at ending the 18-month-long conflict there. Abdel-Fattah was also quoted as saying that Egyptian and Qatari officials were expected to discuss the proposal "soon," adding that non-Arab Turkey might also be involved in the initiative. According to Anadoul, the presidential aide went on to say that Morsi, during his current visit to Turkey, was attempting to drum up support for the Qatari scheme with his Turkish interlocutors. Yet Ali insisted that Arab intervention in Syria remained "out of the question." He added that Egypt’s rejection of military involvement in Syria remained unchanged, stressing that statements made by anyone other than the president or his official spokesman did not reflect Egypt's official policy. On Sunday, Morsi visited Turkey for the first time in his capacity as Egypt's president, where he delivered an address at the annual meeting of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party. From ahram online