President El Sisi declares that there will be no third terms for presidents: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi rejected suggestions that term limits should be eased by amending the constitution to allow presidents to serve a third term in office. “We will not interfere with (the constitution). I am with preserving two four-year terms,” El Sisi said in an interview with CNBC.

El Sisi also said that Egyptians will cast ballots in a presidential poll in either March or April 2018, though he avoided the topic of his candidacy altogether (watch, runtime: 1:47).

The reform agenda is very real and has been designed to minimize the impact of thesereforms on the average citizen, El Sisi said when speaking on the economy. He admitted that there were structural issues with the economy that needed to be fixed and that there is still some ways to go to reach pre-2011 metrics. He also attributed the drop in unemployment to below 12% in part on the national megaprojects, including the New Suez Canal. Speaking on tourism, El Sisi stressed how vital it was to the economy, which is why it is such an attractive target for terrorists. The state has expended efforts to bolster security at tourism sites to ensure against further attacks, he added (watch, runtime: 2:45).

The interview dwelt on regional and international politics. El Sisi noted that Egypt’s regional foreign policy is centered on stability. “The stability of the region is very important and we all have to protect it … I am talking to all the parties in the region to preserve it,” he said. When asked whether the time had come for Egypt to consider measures against Hezbollah, El Sisi replied, “The subject is not about taking on or not taking on, the subject is about the status of the fragile stability in the region in light of the unrest facing the region.” The topic (watch, runtime: 3:07).

(The conversation on Hezbollah come in light of statements by Saudi Arabia that the Lebanese government had figuratively declared war on Saudi Arabia and will be dealt with accordingly, Reuters reports. The statements follows the resignation of Lebanon’s PM Saad El Hariri, who blamed Iran and Hezbollah for his inability to govern.)

Asked about the roles of Russia and the United States in the Mideast, El Sisi said it’s vital for regional stability that the two countries work together. El Sisi then praised efforts by US President Donald Trump to promote security. “We are completely supporting and cooperating with President Trump on this,” he added (watch, runtime: 0:23).