CAIRO — Following the June 8 conclusion of a conference of Syrian opposition forces in Cairo, it looks like Egypt might be adopting a new policy on the Syrian crisis, shifting a position formerly supportive of its strategic regional partner Saudi Arabia. The government is now rejecting a military solution and instead calling for a political resolution to the crisis that erupted with the Syrian revolution in 2011.

Cairo’s position has changed with each new regime over the last four years, beginning with the January 25 Revolution through the current administration of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. It remained diplomatically silent, declining any significant role, even through the Arab League, during the military's rule in 2011 and 2012 until Mohammed Morsi became president. Morsi, believing that ousting President Bashar al-Assad was a moral duty, severed diplomatic relations, thus turning Cairo into a safe haven for Syrian opposition forces. Things changed again, however, when Sisi took power, in June 2014, and sought out middle ground to avoid jeopardizing relations with international and regional actors, primarily Saudi Arabia and Russia, which have taken conflicting positions on Syria.

Despite Turkey's new alliance with Saudi Arabia on Syria, with both supporting jihadist movements there, Cairo's diplomatic efforts appear geared toward countering or lessening Turkey’s active role in the conflict. At the same time, Egypt is taking steps toward rapprochement with Russia and is beginning to view Assad's regime as part of a potential solution.

The opposition conference in Cairo — which hosted new factions and excluded the Ankara-backed National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces — announced a new road map to resolve the crisis. The plan does not abolish Assad's government, but stipulates that the only way to save Syria is through a negotiated political solution between opposition delegations and the regime under the auspices of the United Nations.