Egypt has no intention of waging Syria 'jihad': minister

[Assault Rifle]

Egypt has no intention of waging Syria 'jihad': minister
CAIRO | Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:38am EDT

(Reuters) - Egypt has no intention of a waging a holy war against Syria, but still supports the Syrian peoples' hopes for freedom, newly installed foreign minister Nabil Fahmy said on Saturday.

The Muslim Brotherhood movement of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi last month joined a call by some Sunni clerics for a jihad against the Syrian government and its Shi'ite allies.

Signaling a different approach, Fahmy told reporters: "There are no intentions for jihad in Syria."

However, he made clear that Egypt still supported change in Syria, where rebels are battling to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that has killed more than 90,000.

"We support the Syrian people and their aspirations for freedom," Fahmy, a former Egyptian ambassador to the United States, told a news conference.

Mursi, deposed on July 3 and detained by the army, said last month that he had cut all diplomatic ties with Damascus and backed a no-fly zone over Syria, pitching the most populous Arab state more firmly against Assad.

Fahmy said there was no change to this decision, but that it was under review.

(Reporting by Yasmine Saleh; Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: Reuters.Com

 

[Homajon]

Egypt to reevaluate Syria ties after coup

Egypt's new foreign minister says Cairo is re-
examining its relationship with Syria following
military's ouster of Morsi

In his first public comments since becoming
Egypt's top diplomat, Nabil Fahmy said Cairo
continues to support the Syrian uprising but that
Egypt has no intention of supporting a jihad - or
holy war - in Syria.

"Everything will be re-evaluated," Fahmy told
reporters in Cairo.

Fahmy's comments signaled a shift from Islamist
President Mohamed Morsi's approach. The former
president had made supporting the Syrian
opposition in its fight against President Bashar
Assad a cornerstone of his foreign policy. Cairo
also is the official headquarters of the main
Western-backed Syrian opposition group.

Just weeks before Morsi was deposed on July 3,
a senior presidential aide said authorities would
not prevent Egyptians from traveling to Syria to
join the rebel cause.

Morsi also attended a rally on June 15 in which
hard-line clerics called on Sunni Muslims to join
the fight in Syria. Speaking at the rally, Morsi
announced he was severing diplomatic ties with
Damascus.

Fahmy said Egypt is seeking a political solution
to the three-year crisis in Syria, which has killed
more than 90,000 people, according to the United
Nations .

"Egypt supports the (Syrian) revolution and the
Syrian people's right to live in dignity within the
framework of a democratic system and we will
work to achieve that goal," he said.

While in office, Morsi launched an initiative with
the aim of finding a regional political solution.
Since Morsi's ouster, his critics have accused
Syrians living in Egypt of participating in the
protests calling for him to be reinstated.
Television networks critical of Morsi aired
allegations that his Muslim Brotherhood backers
were paying Syrian refugees to take part in pro-
Morsi protests. The arrest of at least six Syrians
accused of taking part in violent street clashes
only fanned the flames.
After the arrests, Cairo 's new military-backed
interim government imposed travel restrictions on
Syrians, who for decades were able to enter
Egypt without a visa.

The main Syrian opposition coalition has criticized
the shift toward those seeking refuge in Egypt
from the war, calling on authorities to ensure
that" Syrian people living in Egypt, under such
dire circumstances, are not used to achieve
certain political ends."

Fahmy also said Egypt is "seriously assessing" its
relations with the Syrian regime's key regional
backer Iran. Morsi moved to improve diplomatic
ties with Iran when he reached out to Tehran in a
bilateral deal to promote tourism and improve
relations between the two countries.
"We are neither enemies nor allies with anybody,"
Fahmy said of Cairo's ties with other nations.

The foreign minister said Egypt is also looking at its relationship with Ethiopia and Turkey. Some Brotherhood officials have close business ties with Turkey and the country's prime minister, wary of the pro-secular Turkish military's intervention in politics, has condemned Morsi's ouster as "unacceptable".
Separately, the ministry's spokesman Badr Abdel-
Aaty said Egypt is "very concerned" that Ethiopia
has not replied to requests to take part in
technical consultations in Cairo over its
construction of a Nile dam. The project could
leave Egypt with a dangerous water shortage.
Before his ouster, Morsi had vowed "all options
are open" in dealing with the dam's construction.

Egypt to reevaluate Syria ties after coup - Israel News, Ynetnews

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Things have turned upside down after the oust of Morsi

 

[Assault Rifle]

Heartbreak for MooshMoosh.

 

[tyrant]

They are in a critical situation now. This is a good move, if we consider everything at this point.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

They are in a critical situation now. This is a good move, if we consider everything at this point.

Not to mention the tensions Egypt has with Ethiopia these days, the latter is beating the drums of war, they'd better be careful what they wish for.