Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has pointed out that outstanding issues in Syria could not be resolved by its Constitutional Committee, despite being a first step in confidence-building. His comment highlighted the importance of expanding the scope of political solutions in Syria. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed the need to take all the steps needed to resolve the Syrian crisis in line with a decisive and effective response against terrorist organizations. The remarks of Aboul Gheit and the Egyptian FM were made during UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen’s three-day visit to Cairo on Wednesday. Discussions have focused on advancing the peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis. According to Aboul Gheit, the Arab League attaches great importance to ending the stalemate in Syria after ten years of conflict. Syrians, represented by both the government and the opposition, should be aware of the threat posed by the status quo, a senior official in the organization’s General Secretariat quoted Aboul Gheit as saying. He pointed to the need to reach compromises and end the suffering of Syrians in Syria and abroad. Abou Gheit called for creative means for a settlement to the Syrian war, which has been overwhelmed by political differences. A foreign ministry statement stressed Egypt’s rejection to any forced demographic change in Syria. Commenting on Pedersen’s visit, Professor of Political Science at the American University of Cairo Dr. Noha Bakr said it comes as part of the international community’s acknowledgment of Egypt’s vision on the crisis in Syria. Bakr told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo has always been calling for a political solution in Syria.