Diplomatic Sources: Mursi’s Decision on Cutting Ties with Syria Meant to Appease Salafis and zionists

Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi decided to sever relations with the Syrian government under the pressures of Saudi Arabia and the Salafis and to avoid a possible demonstration of the Salafi groups, an Arab diplomatic source disclosed on Wednesday.

“In less than two weeks from now, that is on June 30, the Salafis and dissidents are due to stage rallies in Egypt, and this has become a source of concern for President Mohammad Mursi and other leaders of Ikhwan al-Muslimun (Muslim Brotherhood) party,” the source who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue told FNA.

According to the source, the Brotherhood leaders are concerned that the rallies could spread to the entire country and lead to the collapse of the government.

“Mursi tried to decrease the Salafis and Saudi Arabia’s pressures against him and dissuade them from increasing their pressures on Ikhwan al-Muslimun by his recent position against Syria,” the source added.

Earlier, a Saudi paper also said that Mursi has cut his country’s relations with Syria under the pressures of the head of the Qatari opposition, Sheikh Yusuf Gharzawi, and Salafi groups.

The Saudi al-Sharq al-Owsat newspaper said before deciding to cut his country’s ties with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Mursi had a meeting with a delegation headed by Gharzawi and other Islamic figures who were mostly Salafi leaders.

The Saudi daily reported that the delegation pressured Mursi to take a harsher position against the Syrian government.

Also, Qarzawi, himself, asked the Egyptian president to cut all official and diplomatic ties between Cairo and Damascus and provide more aid for the opposition forces in Syria.

Mursi announced on Saturday the end of diplomatic ties with the Syrian government led by Bashar Al-Asaad.

“We have decided to close down the Syrian embassy in Cairo,” he said, adding, “We also intend to recall Egypt’s charge d’affaires (from Damascus).”

In response, a Syrian official source said on Sunday that Mursi has joined the US-led band of conspiring and instigating against Damascus by cutting off all ties with Syria.

The source expressed Syria’s confidence that “the brotherly Egyptian people will foil these policies and their dangerous impacts and repercussions for the region”.

Also, a prominent Egyptian journalist expressed regret over President Mursi’s decision to close the Syrian embassy in Cairo, and said Mursi was expected to shut down the Israeli mission as the enemy of the Muslim world, instead.

“Mursi’s remarks at a conference dubbed ‘Support for Syria’ in Cairo means declaring war on the Syrian government,” Menni al-Shazali was quoted as saying by al-Youm al-Sabe’ news website on Sunday.

“The president talked about closing the Syrian embassy while all of us thought that he would decide to shut down the Israeli mission,” she added.