Egypt's Sisi Meets Qatari Envoy as Ties Thaw
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Egypt said Saturday it aims to end differences with Qatar as President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi who ousted his Doha-backed predecessor met with an envoy from the Persian Gulf emirate.
Ties between Cairo and Doha deteriorated after then army chief Sisi ousted Mohamed Mursi, whose Muslim Brotherhood movement was backed by Qatar.
Since Mursi's ouster in July last year, a crackdown overseen by Sisi against the Brotherhood has left hundreds dead.
Qatar repeatedly denounced Sisi's ouster of Mursi and it still provides shelter for some Brotherhood leaders who fled Egypt.
The crackdown led to a months-long diplomatic spat pitting Qatar against Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, which all supported the ouster of Mursi.
But at a reconciliation summit in November hosted by Riyadh, Qatar joined its Persian Gulf neighbors in supporting Egypt under Sisi.
"Egypt looks forward to a new era that ends past disagreements," Sisi's office said after he met with Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdel Rahman Al-Thani, a special envoy of Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
Doha-based Al-Jazeera television has repeatedly condemned Mursi's ouster, while Egyptian media have slammed Qatari authorities for backing the Brotherhood, AFP reported.
Egyptian authorities have jailed three Al-Jazeera reporters, accusing them of biased reporting and aiding the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Riyadh summit came amid security fears over the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Syria and Iraq.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all joined US-led air strikes against the ISIL in Syria.
Sisi's meeting with the Qatari envoy was his first with a Doha representative since becoming president in June.
