Egypt says it regrets the UN Security Council's failure to take action to save Syria's Aleppo after voting in favour of a French-drafted resolution Saturday that would have demanded an end to air strikes and military flights.
Egypt's UN Ambassador Amr Aboulatta said Cairo voted on the French text and a Russian alternate "based on the content of the resolutions and not out of political one-upmanship that has blocked the Security Council action," according to a foreign ministry statement.
He expressed "regrets" on the council's "failure to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people and eliminate terrorism in Syria as a result of such disagreements."
Russia Saturday vetoed the draft resolution presented by France demanding an end to the bombing of Aleppo, but its own rival draft text was rejected after it failed to get a minimum nine votes in favour.
Britain, France and the United States voted against the Russian measure that called for a ceasefire but did not mention a halt in air strikes.
The Egyptian ambassador said the two texts give priority to "ending hostilities in Aleppo and urge the resumption of the political process and negotiations on a transitional period in Syria," adding that a settlement is possible on the basis of those elements.
"The main reason for the failure of the two drafts comes down to constant disagreement between the council's members," Aboulatta added.
Forces of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, backed by Russian war planes and Iranian support, have been battling to capture eastern Aleppo, the rebel-held half of Syria's largest city.
