Foreign policy conversations between President, Foreign Minister leaks show no substance
Ikhwan-affiliated channel Mukmileen aired a series of what it claims to be leaked excerpts of called between Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. The recordings appear to confirm reports that Iran insisted on Egypt’s inclusion in the Syria peace talks of Lausanne last October, according to statements attributed to Shoukry. Other leaks reportedly include a briefing to El Sisi that Bahrain and Kuwait had attempted to soften the GCC statement criticizing Egypt for claiming that the attacker behind the St. Peter and St. Paul cathedral received instructions from Ikhwani leaders harbored in Qatar. A third leak allegedly has Shoukry reporting on the efforts Kuwait is making to mediate between Cairo and Riyadh. The Foreign Ministry has refused to comment on the leak as of this morning, Al Masry Al Youm reports. The alleged leaks themselves don’t appear to show anything but standard briefings between a president and his minister, making the existence of the recordings the most noteworthy thing.