Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in an interview published Sunday that he would be prepared to send troops to a future Palestinian state to help stabilise it.
Sisi, who begins his first European trip on Monday since ousting his Islamist predecessor, made the comments in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
He is due to visit France and Italy, while the trip will also include a meeting with Pope Francis.
The Egyptian leader said he would send forces to a future Palestinian state in agreement with Israel and the Palestinian authority.
Sisi said he had spoken of the idea with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
Speaking of neighbouring Libya, Sisi described the country as having descended into “chaos” and said “extremely dangerous jihadist bases” were being established there.
Sisi also said Egypt had not intervened militarily in Libya. Egypt has denied reports that it facilitated air strikes by the United Arab Emirates, a close ally, against militias in Libya.
The Egyptian leader overthrew president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, prompting a wave of violence between Morsi supporters and security forces that drew rebukes from the United States and Europe.
But Egypt has come back in from the cold since Sisi’s landslide election win earlier this year, boosted by its increasingly central role in combating regional Islamist militancy.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.