Sisi says he would consider amending peace treaty with Israel

Favorite for President of Egypt says he would step down if the people revolted and would not wait for the army to force him from power.

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON
General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi 370
(photo credit: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
Former Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is favored to win the upcoming presidential election, said that if necessary he would amend the peace treaty with Israel.
In an interview on Sunday on Sky News Arabia, Sisi said he would step down if the people revolted and without waiting for the army to force him from power.
If things go according to plan, Egyptians should see an improvement in two years, said the leading presidential hopeful.
To avoid a third revolution, he added, the people had to be realistic about what was possible.
In the second part of the interview published on Monday, Sisi said the Egyptian Army would move to defend any Arab country facing a threat.
In a television interview last week, Sisi said that he had determined there was no way out of the political crisis in his country three months before he ousted president Mohamed Morsi last July.
Speaking to CBC television and Egyptian channel ONTV, Sisi recalled the months leading up to the removal of Morsi, which was followed by a tough security crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.
He said he was responding to the will of millions of people who took to the streets to protest against Morsi, who was accused of imposing Islamist views on Egyptians, usurping power and mismanaging the economy.
In that interview, Sisi said he would uphold the peace treaty with Israel and would even visit the country if there was progress on the Palestinian issue and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Meanwhile, the new Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Haim Koren, arrived in Cairo on Sunday, replacing Yaakov Amitai, The Cairo Post reported.
Reuters contributed to this report.