Egyptian President Sisi: “Brotherhood Refused Presidential Elections and Chose Fighting, Violence”
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi announced that the state’s national dialogue will embrace all political parties except for only one faction, an indication to the banned group of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In a meeting with a number of journalists on of inauguration of Adly Mansour metro station and electric train on Sunday evening, Sisi said that he had introduced a proposal to the group of the Brotherhood, during the incidents of July 3, 2013, to overcome the then-crisis throughout holding early presidential elections and giving the people the opportunity to choose, but the group chose fighting and violence. “So, they could not participate in the national dialogue,” he said.
“The Egyptian Army will remain underpinning of the state at all times […] Egypt was heading towards a route of a point of no return,” he added.
Regarding the national projects the state is working on, the President said that Egypt is working for the future and development that will move the state to another place, adding “the state succeeded in confronting skepticism, hatred, and attempted sabotage.”
He continued that the establishment of transportation lines incurs a high cost, and there is a large plan that costs more than 1 trillion EGP within an integrated plan for the national projects.
“To build a new road, we may have to remove 3K apartments, and we are working to compensate the citizens for these apartments by offering other houses,” the President said. “We asked the residents of Al Warraq [island] to choose between compensation or having an apartment,” he added.
The President also announced that the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) will be run by a private company, not the Ministry of Culture as the state allows the private sector to run and manage the national projects.
Regarding education, the President revealed that Egypt will open a large number of private universities next September to provide good education and prepare a generation of graduates for a real labor market. He added that the results of good education will be seen after 10 years as there are projects whose results take a long time.
“I care about the Egyptian person who is the main pillar in the stability of the state,” the President said. He continued that about 30 million citizens work in the private sector and the state supports them.
The President assured the Egyptians that the state seeks to make basic commodities available amid the existing global crisis.
As for the regional cooperation among Arab countries which has been intensively achieved in recent days, President Sisi said: “We are moving within the framework of a collective Arab action to promote investment and joint projects [among Arab countries]. There is an Arab consensus to protect common interests.”
On the Libyan crisis, President said that he wishes the Libyan people to maintain stability in their country. “It is impossible for a state to rise and develop as long as its fate is in the hands of others,” he said.
