Egypt’s president has expressed support for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s military in remarks likely to irk Saudi Arabia and Gulf Arab allies who back Syrian rebels in the civil war.
Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said in an interview with the Portuguese TV network RTP that Syrian government forces are best positioned to combat terrorism and restore stability in the war-torn nation.
Asked if he’d send Egyptian peacekeepers to Syria under a peace deal, Sisi said that “it is better that the national army take responsibility” and that his priority is to “support the national army” of Syria.
Cairo and Riyadh are at odds over the war in Syria. Egypt angered its top financial backer last month when it backed Russian and French draft resolutions on Syria at the UN Security Council.
