Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi is leaving Cairo for New York on Sunday to attend the UN General Assembly meetings, marking his first appearance at the annual global gathering since he took office in June. Al Sissi, an ex-army chief, is to address the forum on Thursday amid concerns in Egypt that backers of the Muslim Brotherhood will hold mass protests outside the UN headquarters to disrupt the visit.
Last year, Al Sissi led the army’s overthrow of Islamist president Mohammad Mursi, a senior Brotherhood official. On Saturday, a group of prominent Egyptian politicians and media people left for New York to join rallies planned in support of Al Sissi. Other groups of supporters are expected to go to New York later in the week. The Egyptian community in New York has, meanwhile, called on Egyptians staying in the US to “welcome the Egyptian president and foil the Brotherhood’s evil plan,” the official Middle East News Agency reported.
