Egypt’s Sissi meets Qatari envoy as ties thaw

Egypt said Saturday it aims to end differences with Qatar as President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi who ousted his Doha-backed Islamist predecessor met with an envoy from the Gulf emirate.

Ties between Cairo and Doha deteriorated after then army chief Sissi ousted Mohamed Morsi, whose Muslim Brotherhood movement was backed by Qatar.

Since Morsi’s ouster in July last year, a crackdown overseen by Sissi against the Brotherhood has left hundreds dead.

Qatar repeatedly denounced Sissi’s ouster of Morsi 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 Morsi.

But at a reconciliation summit in November hosted by Riyadh, Qatar joined its Gulf neighbors in supporting Egypt under Sissi.

“Egypt looks forward to a new era that ends past disagreements,” Sissi’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 Morsi’s ouster, while Egyptian media have slammed Qatari authorities for backing the Brotherhood.

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 jihadist group in Syria and Iraq.

Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all joined US-led airstrikes against the IS in Syria.

Sisi’s meeting with the Qatari envoy was his first with a Doha representative since becoming president in June.

The Qatari envoy was accompanied by a special representative of Saudi King Abdullah.