CAIRO, Dec 14 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt’s permanent ambassador to the UN Amr Abouelatta said the Syrian conflict embarks on a new level of a comprehensive war that will not settle down except by a political resolution.

"The political competition is obstructing serious talks between warring parties of conflict in Syria” he said in his speech before the urgent session held by the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

He added, “it is surprising to see how political conflicts continue to disregard the humanitarian condition in Syria; which is considered the worst in history, and the fact that Syria has turned into a hub for terrorist elements.”

As of Monday, pro-government forces reportedly killed at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, across different areas of Aleppo in Syria from Bustan Al-Qasr, Al-Ferdous, Al-Kallaseh, to Al-Saleheen.

This comes after Syrian government forces reestablished control over Aleppo after months of siege.

UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) highlighted civilians are falling victims as a result of the crossfire. High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein warned on Tuesday that thousands of people who remain in areas under the control of armed groups are at risk of grave violations, including detentions, torture and killings.

Egypt, which is currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, has been sending mixed signals on its stance towards the conflict in Syria.

In early October, Egypt voted for two different resolutions at the Security Council for Syria, one filed by Russia and the other filed by France and Spain. While none of the two resolutions were eventually passed, both resolutions had demanded humanitarian access. However, the latter demanded halting airstrikes as well.

In a rare statement last week, Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad said in an interview with Al-Watan Syrian newspaper that there started to be mutual cooperation between Syria and Egypt, but is currently only limited to security cooperation. 

Meanwhile, Egypt’s foreign ministry has received several delegations of the Syrian opposition over the past two years. The last delegation met with minister Sameh Shukri in April where both parties agreed on the importance of reaching a political settlement to end the “Syrian tragedy.”