Last month, an Egyptian court sentenced an Australian reporter Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Al-Jazeera, English Cairo Bureau chief, Baher Mohamed for 7 to 10 years in prison for aiding the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement.
"The June 23 sentencing had a "very negative effect," Sisi conceded during his meeting with top editors yesterday, Al-Masry el-Youm newspaper reported.
"The sentencing of several journalists had a very negative effect, and we had nothing to do with it," he was quoted as saying.
After the sentence in July, Sisi had said, he would not interfere in the court verdicts.
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The sentence prompted widespread international condemnation with US describing the act as "draconian" and called on Sisi to release the journalists and the United Nations said imprisoning them was "obscene".
The comments could be a hint that he might use his power as president to pardon the journalists, who still have a chance to appeal the verdict in a higher court, according to Al-Bawaba website.
The three journalists detained in December were convicted with charges of aiding the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement by broadcasting lies that harmed national security and supplying money, equipment and information to a group of Egyptians.