Egypt's Sisi says Saudi Oil Stoppage Not Related to Differences on Syria

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Thursday that a suspension of Saudi petroleum aid to Egypt was not related to his country's vote on Syria at the U.N. Security Council and the motives for the stoppage were unclear.

"Some observers imagine that the stoppage of petroleum cargoes from Saudi Arabia was a response to this but this is not true because the oil cargoes come as part of a commercial agreement signed in April and we do not know the situation of the companies and will take the appropriate response," the official news agency quoted Sisi as saying in a speech to the military.

At a U.N. Security Council meeting on Saturday, Egypt voted for both a French draft resolution on Syria, which was vetoed by Russia, and a subsequent Russian draft, which dropped calls for an end to the bombardment of Aleppo, and failed to pass.

Though the oil aid was suspended before the vote, diplomats and analysts have said Saudi Arabia was angered by Egypt's position.

Sisi said that Egypt would not bow to pressure from anyone.

(Reporting by Omar Fahmy and Lin Noueihed)