Egypt: Musri’s Warm Letter to Peres True

Local Editor

A spokesperson for Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi confirmed on Thursday the authenticity of a controversial letter describing his the head of the Zionist entity as a "great" friend, saying it followed protocol.

The letter, sent for the confirmation of Egypt's new ambassador to Tel Aviv, was leaked to the "Israeli" press and sparked criticism at home for Mursi.
The letter reportedly referred to Shimon Peres as a "great and good friend."
"Great and good friend," Mursi wrote to Peres, "being desirous of maintaining and strengthening the cordial relations which so happily exist between our two countries, I have selected Mr. Atef Mohamed Salem Sayed El Ahl to be our ambassador..." Mursi then closed the letter, by expressing "highest esteem and consideration."
Mursi's spokesperson Yassir Ali confirmed the letter's authenticity, the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper reported on its website, adding that it conformed to Foreign Ministry protocols and was "100 percent correct."

Meanwhile, the letter, which has been published exclusively by The Times of "Israel", has sparked outrage in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood leader Gamal Muhammad Heshmat called the letter a "Zionist fabrication" aimed at tarnishing the image of Mursi before his people.
This comes after the president's office had previously denied another warm letter from Mursi.


Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org