Sisi: No Reconciliation with those Trying to Harm Egypt

President Sisi speaks during the event on Sunday. (Egyptian Presidency)
President Sisi speaks during the event on Sunday. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi: No Reconciliation with those Trying to Harm Egypt

President Sisi speaks during the event on Sunday. (Egyptian Presidency)
President Sisi speaks during the event on Sunday. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said Sunday that his country “will not be defeated by a war from the outside,” while also underlining his rejection of “reconciling” with the Muslim Brotherhood, which Cairo has blacklisted as a terrorist group.

“I cannot reconcile with those who want to destroy the country and harm its people,” he declared during an armed forces cultural event marking Egypt’s victory in the October 6, 1976 war.

“You are welcome to argue with me, but when it comes to killing and destroying the lives of 100 million Egyptian people, then how can I reconcile with you?” he asked while indirectly referring to the Muslim Brotherhood.

He dismissed all calls for reconciliation with the group, which the authorities banned as terrorist in 2013.

Sisi said that Egypt was witnessing a threat to its “state stability”, vowing that he will protect it.

“Direct wars used to be adopted in the past to destroy, defeat and obstruct the progress of a state. Now, new generations of wars are dealing with our challenges and issues and exploiting them before the public, who can be used as a tool for destruction,” he warned.

“Egypt cannot be destroyed by war from the outside,” he remarked.



US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
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US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)

Recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his willingness to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to normalize relations between the two countries have sparked mixed reactions.
While the Syrian opposition sees the possibility of such a meeting despite the challenges, Damascus views the statements as a political maneuver by the Turks. Meanwhile, the United States has tied the normalization process to achieving a political solution in Syria based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, issued in 2015.
Turkish media reported on Thursday that a US administration official, who was not named, confirmed that Washington is against normalizing relations with the Syrian regime under Assad. He emphasized that Washington cannot accept normalizing ties with Damascus without progress toward a political solution that ends the conflicts in Syria.
Meanwhile, the head of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, Hadi al-Bahra, stated that a meeting between Assad and Erdogan is possible despite the obstacles. In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, Bahra said the meeting is feasible, even though Ankara is fully aware that the Assad regime cannot currently meet its demands and understands the regime’s limitations.
Bahra pointed out that the UN-led political process remains frozen and that he had briefed US and Western officials on the latest developments in the Syrian file. On Saturday, Bahra participated in a consultative meeting in Ankara with the Syrian Negotiation Commission, along with a high-level delegation from the US State Department, during which they exchanged views on the political solution and the need to establish binding mechanisms for implementing international resolutions related to the Syrian issue.
On the other side, Assad’s special advisor, Bouthaina Shaaban, dismissed Erdogan’s announcement that Ankara is awaiting a response from Damascus regarding his meeting with Assad for normalization as another political maneuver with ulterior motives.
Shaaban, speaking during a lecture at the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was reported by Turkish media on Thursday, stated that any rapprochement between the two countries is contingent on its withdrawal of forces from Syrian territory.