Sisi praises Saudi, hints at change on Syria

CAIRO: Egypt’s presidential frontrunner Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Friday praised Saudi Arabia and vowed to forge strong security ties with Arab Gulf states, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat Editor-in-Chief Adel Al-Toraifi.

Egypt’s former army chief told the London-based pan-Arab daily that Saudi Arabia would be the first on his list of countries to officially visit if elected president.

“The first country I will visit will be Saudi Arabia and we will go to express our gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for we will not forget his supportive stances and his statement backing the Egyptian people that led to a change in the [political] equation,” Sisi said.

Sisi also stressed that the security in the Gulf region and Egypt were interlinked. He said the security of the Gulf “is part of Egypt’s security.”

“We will not allow anyone to tamper [with the Gulf’s security],” he added. “If there is any threat to any Gulf state, Egypt will not stand and watch.”

“We are just a road’s distance and that means if any state is threatened and Egypt is asked to assist then we will do so immediately,” said Sisi, who is tipped to record landslide election win.

The Egyptian people had lost faith in the Muslim Brotherhood, he said, before adding that: “It is now time for Al-Azhar to play its role once more to strengthen the youth in the real moderate Islam that prevents the spread of extremism.”

On the war raging in Syria, Sisi said that there “had been many developments on the ground” that necessitate a “review” that favors political to military solutions.

“We also are faced with the equation of safeguarding Syria’s integrity and the need to eliminate the terrorism and extremist groups that have appeared on the Syrian arena,” he added.

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