Madani's mockery of Sisi was 'gross mistake', Shoukry tells parliament

Sunday 30-10-2016 06:02 PM

Foreign Ministry's spokesperson's Twitter account

CAIRO, Oct 30 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's foreign minister reiterated on Sunday his condemnation of the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for mocking Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Head of the OIC Iyad Madani confused the name of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi with that of Egypt's President Sisi at a conference hosted by Tunisia last week.

"This is a big mistake. I'm sure your fridge has more than water, Mr. president," Madani told Essebsi, referring to a statement made by Sisi few days earlier.

During a youth conference held at Sharm al-Sheikh, Sisi told the attendees that "for ten years, my fridge had nothing but water and no one heard my voice."

Sisi's statements were addressed to Egyptians who complain about economic conditions, calling on them to bear the current situation.

Foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said during a parliamentary session on Sunday that Madani's comments are "unacceptable", adding that they represented a "gross mistake".

"We released a statement to condemn the comments made by an international civil servant who lead a prestigious organisation that Egypt is proud to be one of its founders," Shoukry said on Monday.

He added that Egypt's leadership and people awaits clear actions from the Arab Organisation for Education and Culture against this "encroachment", while pointing out that the ministry has submitted a formal protest against Madani's statements.

Foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that Egypt shall accordingly review its position towards the Organisation's Secretariat and Secretary General.

"Such remarks do not conform with the responsibilities and the duties of the Organization's Secretary General position, and fundamentally affect his ability to carry out his duties," the statement added.

Madani, a former Saudi minister, apologised for his comments in a statement issued on Friday saying he didn't intend to offend the Egyptian leadership.

The statements come in the wake of rising tensions between Cairo and Riyadh after Egypt voted in favour of a Russian-backed draft resolution in the UN Security Council on Syria, which was opposed by Saudi Arabia. 

Two days following the voting, Saudi state-owned oil company Aramco announced the suspension of its petroleum product supply to Egypt for the month of October. The sudden halt, triggered a scornful media campaign against Saudi Arabia, as it was seen by pundits as a political decision.

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