Sisi Says Media Attacks On Qatar A Reflection Of Public Opinion

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi says criticism of Qatar from local media is only a reflection of the public anger towards the Gulf state, saying media outlets have a margin of freedom and are not controlled by the authorities.

“There are opinions that people believe are ours (the government’s) whereas these views, in fact, reflect the anger of the Egyptian people and public opinion,” he said during a protracted interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, published on Saturday.

Relations between Cairo and Doha have soured since the 2013 removal of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was robustly backed by Qatar. Since then, there have been heated exchanges between Egypt and Qatar, both in the media and on official levels.

On Sunday afternoon, El-Sisi will arrive in Saudi Arabia for talks with the Saudi new monarch Salman Ben Abdel-Aziz to discuss a range of regional and bilateral issues.

Source : Ahram online