Sisi Denies Red Sea Islands Belong to Egypt!
Local Editor
Responding to criticism of Egypt's decision to hand control of two key islands over to Saudi Arabia, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Sisi denied they had ever belonged to Egypt.
"We did not waive our rights - we gave Saudi Arabia its right to Tiran and Sanafir," he said.
"There were security and political reasons" for the deal, he told delegates during the address at the Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.
In this respect, Sisi and his cabinet faced a storm of criticism since Sunday, when the islands deal was announced.
Many opponents of the government, as well as some state-run media outlets, reacted angrily to the announcement, with some accusing Sisi of "selling" Egyptian territory to the Gulf kingdom.
The president said the public reaction made him happy, because it showed that Egyptians "love their land" but warned of a "conspiracy" seeking to question the integrity of Egypt's leaders.
"The public reaction to the problem of the islands is weakening the position of Egypt. I hope we won't bring up this issue again - you have a parliament that will discuss this."
Sisi also stressed the need for unity, saying that "the Egyptian army represents all Egyptians and not just one sect".
"I am not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood or a Salafist - I am just a Muslim," said Sisi, who came to power following a popular-backed coup against the Brotherhood in 2013.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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