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Aboul Gheit Says Egyptian Military Operation Against Ethiopia Unlikely | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Media ID: 55371582
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Ahmed Aboul Gheit sits beside an unoccupied seat for the Libyan foreign minister, at the opening of an emergency meeting among the Arab League foreign ministers, held to discuss issues about Libya, at the headquarters in Cairo March 2, 2011. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh


Tunisia, Cairo- Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that an Egyptian military operation against Ethiopia is unlikely due to the ongoing discord on Addis Ababa building El Nahda Dam on Nile.

During a lecture, Aboul Gheit showcased his two books “A Witness of War and Peace” and “Egyptian Foreign Policy from 2004 to 2011”. He expressed certainty that no Arab country stands against Egypt regarding the Ethiopian file and that the problem is represented in the required time for filling the dam.

Speaking of the Egyptian foreign political nature, Aboul Gheit pointed out that the Egyptian presidential regime believes that the head of the state is the one who puts the foreign policy and implements it and this is also applied in countries such as Russia, US and France.

He presented features, topics and complexes of the Egyptian foreign policy especially in the period extending from 2004 until the revolution in January 2011 and the way this policy was managed during Hosni Mubarak’s tenure.

Aboul Gheit added that the discord between US and Egypt started in 2004 and denied that Egypt was affiliated to the US in that time because Egypt gave priority to itself, Arab countries and the peace process in the Middle East.

He also tackled Gulf-Iranian relations and Egypt’s rejection of any threats to the Arab countries, affirming that nuclear weapons are not for use but for deterrence.

In the Egyptian parliament, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry criticized the international silence on the huge support to terrorist groups. He added that the meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz during the Arab Summit revealed solid relations.