Israeli Defence Ministry distances itself from 'dictatorship' remark

Israeli Defence Ministry said yesterday that the comments by a top official describing Egypt as a country with an "appalling dictatorship" do not reflect the positions of the ministry. "The remarks reported today by Maj-Gen. (Res.) Gilad do not reflect the defence establishment's position, nor do they reflect Gilad's position," Xinhua news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying in a statement.

The statement follows comments made by defence official Amos Gilad earlier in the day that "out of the desire for democracy, an appalling dictatorship has emerged in Egypt."

Speaking at a security conference in Herzliya, Gilad also said that "there is no dialogue between Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and Israel's political echelon and there won't be." Nevertheless, Gilad stressed that the peace treaty with Egypt must be preserved at "any cost." In its statement, the defence ministry said Gilad's central themes were the strategic importance of upholding the peace treaty with Egypt and maintaining good bilateral relations between the two countries, stressing that Gilad had no intention of interfering with Egyptian internal politics.