CAIRO, May 7 (Xinhua) — Arab foreign ministers met on Sunday in the Egyptian capital of Cairo to discuss the ongoing deadly military clashes in Sudan, according to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry.

The extraordinary Arab League (AL) council meeting, called for by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, sought to intensify Arab efforts to find a peaceful solution to the current conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that erupted in mid-April.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who presided over the meeting, expressed Egypt’s solidarity with the Sudanese people amid the crisis and keenness to stop the bloodshed and restore stability in neighboring Sudan.

Shoukry noted that Egypt had received more than 57,000 Sudanese people fleeing the conflict and assisted in the evacuation of over 4,000 foreigners from other countries since the clashes broke out.

At the meeting, AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit called on Sudanese warring parties to give priority to their country’s higher interest to restore stability, preserve institutions, and protect sovereignty.

“Our communication with the (Sudanese) government did not stop, and we support political solutions and negotiations to resolve the crisis,” he added.

The gathering will issue a final communique later in the day following consultation and consensus on proposed resolutions.

The meeting followed an earlier meeting on Syria in the day, where Arab foreign ministers agreed to restore Syria’s membership in the league after 12 years of suspension.

The foreign ministers agreed to form a ministerial committee comprising Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and the AL secretary-general to continue “direct dialogue with the Syrian government to reach a comprehensive solution to the Syrian crisis.”