Egypt's Sisi urges not to jump to conclusions over Russian plane crash

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi urged Wednesday not to jump to conclusions over the Russian plane that crashed in late October in Egypt's North Sinai, he told the state TV during a surprise visit to Sharm el-Sheikh resort.

"I hope no one says uncertain results about the crash of the Russian plane, as there are ongoing investigations," Sisi added.

The plane crash killed all 224 people on board, mostly Russians, which eventually led some states, including Britain and Russia, to suspend their flights to Sharm el-Sheikh and evacuate their nationals from the Sinai prominent resort over a possibility that a bomb was behind the tragedy.

"Few hours after the crash, I phoned the Russian president and told him we're ready to receive investigation teams to join the investigations," Sisi continued.

A Sinai-based militant group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility hours after the disaster, but the claim was strongly refuted by both the Egyptian and the Russian sides.

"We have nothing to hide, and if there is a mistake we will admit it," the Egyptian president said in the interview aired on the state TV.

The evacuation of tourists from Sharm el-Sheikh and the travel warnings issued by some Western states represented a blow for Egypt's already-suffering tourism sector that is one of the main sources of national income and foreign currency for the most populous Arab state.

"The lights of Sharm el-Sheikh and tourist attractions will never be off," Sisi stressed, urging Egyptians, Arabs and friends of Egypt to visit the country and reassuring all that their stay in Egypt will be safe and secure.

An Egyptian-led 47-member investigation committee, including Russian, French and German experts, said Saturday that it was attentively considering all possible scenarios for the cause of the tragic accident, yet no conclusion was reached at the moment. Endit