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Boroujerdi: Victories over terrorist groups indebted to axis of resistance

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IRNA – Chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Wednesday that recent victories over terrorist groups in the region are indebted to axis of Resistance.

Boroujerdi made the remarks in a meeting with Head of Egypt’s Interest Section in Tehran Yaser Othman on Wednesday.

These victories have disappointed those backing the terrorist groups financially or providing them with military apparatus, Boroujerdi said.

The Islamic Republic of Iran and Egypt with profound historical affinities and cooperation play effective role in resolving regional issues, he said.

Referring to the Farwell bids uttered by the terrorist Daesh (ISIS) terrorist leader, he said these victories over the groups should be regarded as a blessing from God which were achieved through resistance and cooperation with the resistance in the region disappointing those backing them financially or militarily and brought them shame, he said.

Iran and Egypt could broaden cooperation in tourism industry, he said.

Head of Egypt Interest Section in Tehran, for his part, said the expansion of relations with Iran plays very significant and key role in the Middle East region.

Having historical, religious and cultural commonalities between Iran and Egypt have created suitable opportunities for both sides to broaden relations and this should be seized, he said.

Tehran and Cairo have identical stances in fight against terrorism and use of political means instead of military confrontation in resolving regional crisis, he said.

In the meeting, he also expressed hope for the nsion of relations and cooperation between the two countries.


Egypt’s Sisi vows to stand by Syrians against terrorists

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Press TV- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says his country supports a “united Syria” and a political resolution to the foreign-sponsored militancy that has ravaged the Arab country for six years and killed thousands of people.

“Speaking of Egypt’s stance on Syria, we want a united Syria, a political agreement to resolve the crisis, and reconstruction of Syria. [We do] not want to leave the Syrian people at the hands of terrorist groups,” Sisi said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday.

The Egyptian leader also called for adopting a “clear and firm position” vis-à-vis “the sponsors of terrorism in the region.”

In October last year, the Damascus government called on Egypt to lend its support to the fight against terrorists in the region.

During a meeting between Major General Ali Mamlouk, the head of Syria’s National Security Bureau, and senior Egyptian intelligence officials, including Major General Khaled Fawzy, the director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate, the two sides reached an agreement on “coordinating political standpoints” and improving bilateral “cooperation in the combat against terrorism.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry announced in September that Cairo and Riyadh, one of the main sponsors of terrorism in the region, did not share common views on the ongoing Syrian crisis.

Shoukry stated that terrorist groups cannot remain in Syria if peace is to be achieved in the conflict-stricken Arab country.

While Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Persian Gulf region, particularly Qatar, are financially and militarily supporting extremists fighting to unseat Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Egyptian officials have reiterated that the crisis in Syria can only be solved through political means.

Earlier, the top Egyptian diplomat had underlined the importance of the resumption of Syria talks during the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting in New York, and called for attempts to accelerate a comprehensive ceasefire in the Middle Eastern country.

Shoukry had also stated that major powers should put in more efforts and indiscriminately target terrorist elements and organizations.

Reasons for Egypt, Persian Gulf states tensions

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Alwaght– Sharp disagreements have worsened ties between Egypt and some Persian Gulf monarchies especially Saudi Arabia.

Cairo and Riyadh have sharp differences on several issues across the region especially the crisis in Syria where the two sides have been at odds. The increasing proximity between Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria has increased tension between Cairo and Riyadh with the two sides now engaging in unofficial cold war. The latter three countries are part of the resistance front battling Saudi-backed Takfiri terrorists across the region. There have been several media reports that Egypt has dispatched its special forces, including air force pilots, to assist the Syrian government in its war on terror. However authorities in Cairo have denied any such deployment.

Egypt has come out openly to oppose Saudi policies vis-à-vis the Syrian crisis with President Abdel Fatah El Sisi expressing, in an interview last November, his support for the Syrian military. That position came after the UN Security Council voted on two rival resolutions last October. One was drafted by France demanding an end to airstrikes and the implementation of a no-fly zone over Syria, while the Russian resolution urged for a ceasefire but made no mention of the French clause. Egypt supported the Russian resolution which was also backed by China, and Venezuela while opposing French resolution. The Saudi regime was angered by the Egyptian decision and immediately halted shipments of oil products to the North African state under a $23 billion deal for indefinite time.

In an apparent reciprocal move, an Egyptian court in January upheld a ruling that said the government cannot transfer control of two key Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia thus widening the rift between the two sides.

Egypt backs Syria’s Arab League readmission

Last February, in a move that further angered the Saudi regime and other Persian Gulf monarchies, Egypt’s parliament urged Arab countries to allow Syria to take back its seat at the Arab League. Syria was suspended from the pan-Arab body in 2011 following a crisis which was ignited by foreign-backed terrorist and militant groups. Algeria, a major power in the Arab world, has also backed Egypt position of readmitting Syria to the Arab League.

On the sidelines of last year’s UN General Assembly in New York, El-Sisi held a bilateral meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi, and praised Iraqi forces operations against ISIS terrorists. In a sign of strengthening of bilateral ties between the two countries, last February, the Iraqi Oil Marketing Company SOMO signed a contract for oil exports with the Egyptian government. Iraq will therefore fill part of the shortfall created by Saudis reneging on their pledges following Egypt’s independent stances. There have been reports that Egypt is also interested in purchasing Iranian oil with little details available on the expected deal between the two countries. There have been signals from Tehran and Cairo pointing towards thawing of ties between the two sides with the latest being  a meeting between the  Chairman of Iran Majlis (Parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerd and Egypt’s Interest Section in Tehran Yaser Othman.

Egypt is also closely coordinating its Syria policy with Lebanon which borders the war-torn country. In mid-February, Lebanese President Michel Aoun visited Cairo and held wide-ranging talks with his Egyptian counterpart El-Sisi with Syria being top on the agenda. Aoun’s stances on Syria and Hezbollah resistance movement have angered Riyadh with the Saudi King cancelling his scheduled trip to Lebanon.

On Yemen, while Egypt continues to be officially in the Saudi-led coalition carrying out a bloody aggression on the impoverished state, participation by Cairo has been lukewarm and mostly a formality with no active involvement in combat operations.

Egypt reasserting authority in Arab, Muslim world

Following their anger towards Egypt’s independent stances some Persian Gulf monarchies had mulled boycotting the recent Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo. There have been some diplomatic efforts by the United Arab Emirates to mediate between Riyadh and Cairo but have not been successful. Kuwait has also expressed concern over the worsening of ties between Saudi Arabia and Egypt and has rejected demands by Riyadh to halt their financial support for Cairo. The Saudi regime is therefore becoming more isolated as many Arab countries move to consolidate ties with Egypt.

Therefore, Cairo is gaining and upper hand as it seeks reasserting its traditional leadership status on the Arab word. Egypt, by virtue of hosting the highest seat of learning in Sunni Islam, the al-Azhar University, also occupies an elevated position among Muslims worldwide, a status the Saudis have been eager to weaken. This new reemerging Egypt with independent political decision is bound to anger some Persian Gulf monarchies especially Saudi Arabia which has unsuccessfully tried to front itself as the undisputed leader of the Arab.

Egypt’s security forces detain man allegedly linked to Tanta church blast

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Tanta church blast

Sputnik News– The Egyptian security forces detained a person on suspicion of being involved in the bomb attack on a church in Egypt’s Tanta, local media reported Sunday.

According to the Youm7 outlet, the man was near the church at the moment of the blast. He was sent to the police department for questioning.

A powerful explosion occurred on Sunday during worship at the church in Tanta, Gharbia province north of Cairo, killing at least 30 and injuring up to 70 people, according to media reports.

Investigation into the attack has been launched, the prosecutors analyze the data from the surveillance cameras. Area near the site of the explosion was cordoned off. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi ordered military hospitals to accept those injured in the blast. Prime Minister of Egypt Sherif Ismail called the explosion at the church a terror attack.

A second explosion at the police training center in Tanta reportedly followed the blast in the church, killing one policemen, however, some media denied the information about victims. The same day, a blast hit a church in Egyptian Alexandria, killing 3 people.

Foreign Ministry slams attack on Christians in Egypt

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Bahram Qassemi

IRNA – Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi on Friday condemned terrorist attack on buses carrying Coptic Christians in Egypt.

It is an example of sectarian violence supported by certain states, Qasemi said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman offered condolences to bereaved families of the victims and the Egyptian people and government.

The recent terrorist attacks in Manchester, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Egypt occurred after the visit by US President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia, Qasemi said.

The crackdown of people and the recent bloodsheds in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen are also other signs of intensifying sectarian violence after Trump’s travel to the region, he said.

Qasemi noted that the recent showpiece in Riyadh which took place at the name of countering terrorism and extremism, produced no results but declaring support for the origins of the Takfiri and Wahhabi ideologies and the armed terrorism logistic and financial source.

Nobody expects support for world security from such summits, he said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman referred to murder of innocent people and followers of various sects, including Muslims and Christians in the sectarian violence and called on the international bodies and world countries to feel responsible to safeguard a collective security and countering terrorism.

At least 26 Coptic Christians were killed and another 25 wounded when buses they were traveling in were attacked by gunmen in central Egypt, authorities said on Friday.

Egyptian state television quoted a health ministry official as saying that a ‘large number’ of the victims were children.

Hamas leader in Egypt for rare talks after spat

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Press TV- A delegation from the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, headed by the newly chosen leader in Gaza Yehiya Sinwar, has arrived in Cairo to hold the first high-level meeting with the country’s security officials after months of tensions.

Salah Bardaweel, an official within Hamas, said the three-member delegation crossed into Egypt on Sunday via the Rafah border crossing, the only passageway to the outside world for the besieged Gaza Strip which is mostly closed as part of an Israeli and Egyptian blockade.

Israel has been blockading Gaza since 2007 as a way of punishing its residents who voted for a Hamas administration. The blockade has caused a decline in the standard of living as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty in the Palestinian coastal enclave.

Bardaweel said the Palestinian and Egyptian officials will discuss the humanitarian situation in the besieged Gaza Strip, Egypt’s role in making conditions better and the need to open Rafah crossing for Palestinian travelers.

Sinwar, a senior commander of Hamas’ military wing, was elected to head the movement’s political office in Gaza on February 13. He is second in rank only to the new chairman of Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, who is also based in Gaza.

Ties between Hamas and Egypt have been tense in recent years as Cairo accuses the Palestinian resistance group of backing militants in Sinai Peninsula, an allegation strongly rejected by the movement.

Last month, Hamas dispatched forces to the Gaza Strip’s frontier with Egypt in a confidence-building measure aimed at boosting security in the border area. The deployment came as part of an agreement reached between the two sides in March.

Abbas cuts stipends for Hamas ex-prisoners

In the Palestinian territories, however, a Gaza-based official said the Palestinian Authority had cut this month’s support payments for dozens of Hamas activists once imprisoned by Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US President Donald Trump greet each other at the Presidential Palace in Bethlehem on May 23, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

“The prisoners went to the banks today and found no salaries in their accounts,” Abdelrahman Shadid, who runs a Hamas-linked prisoner advocacy group in Gaza, said.

He said that those affected had been freed along with over 1,000 other Palestinian inmates in a 2011 prison swap deal with Israel.

The development comes nearly two weeks after a visit by US President Donald Trump to the occupied territories.

The US and Israel are exerting pressure on Abbas to halt the monthly payments to thousands of current and former detainees who were jailed for actions linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Some 6,500 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli jails, 536 of them arbitrarily, according to figures provided by the Palestinian prisoners’ rights group Addameer in January. Palestinian inmates complain that they have been subjected to assault and torture at Israeli prisons.

Israeli PM, opposition leader secretly traveled to Egypt in 2016: Report

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Press TV – A newly released report says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Isaac Herzog secretly traveled to Egypt last year to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Netanyahu, his advisers, Herzog, and a security team flew directly to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in a private plane back in April 2016, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Monday.

They were taken to Egypt’s presidential palace, where Sisi pressured them to take the measures needed to advance a plan for peace with the Palestinians, the report said.

“These talks… failed due to Netanyahu’s refusal to give the Palestinians what was required,” it said.

Separately on Monday, Herzog confirmed the Cairo meeting, claiming that “it was part of a process… that yielded a document that would have changed the face of the Middle East.”

The talks could have produced a deal, but the opportunity was torpedoed by hardliners in Netanyahu’s Likud party, he told Israeli Army Radio.

The Cairo summit came as Netanyahu and Herzog were holding talks aimed at bringing Herzog’s Zionist Union party into the coalition government. However, the negotiations broke down and Netanyahu struck a deal with Yisrael Beitenu party last May, leading to the formation of the most right-wing Israeli administration ever.

In February 2016, another secret meeting was held in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, with the participation of Netanyahu, Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and former US secretary of state John Kerry.

(From L to R) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former US secretary of state John Kerry, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II

That quadrilateral meeting focused on a proposal that included the recognition of the Israeli regime and the resumption of the so-called peace talks with the Palestinians, Haaretz reported.

An Israeli source familiar with the Aqaba meeting said Netanyahu had sought a public regional summit and called for the US recognition of construction in large settlement blocs in return for freezing such activities in isolated settlements east of the controversial separation wall in the West Bank.

Netanyahu had also demanded a guarantee from the former US administration to block anti-Israel moves at United Nations institutions and to veto such resolutions at the UN Security Council, the source said.

In May 2016, the Egyptian president expressed his readiness to “make every effort” to contribute to an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. He further urged Israel and Palestine to seize what he described as a “realistic” and “great” opportunity to reach a peaceful settlement of their conflict.

Kuwait urges Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt to extend Qatar demands deadline

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Sputnik – Four Arab states reportedly agreed to extend requirements deadline for Qatar for another 48 hours after Kuwait urged to do so.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Kuwait urged Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to extend the deadline given to Qatar for response to a list of demands for another 48 hours, local media reported on Sunday.

According to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), the move followed after Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah received Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani who handed the letter from Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with Qatar’s response to the list.

The four countries have agreed to extend the deadline, according to Al Arabiya TV network.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt broke off diplomatic relations and communication with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and interfering in their internal affairs. Later, the Maldives, Mauritius, and Mauritania also announced the severance of diplomatic relations. Jordan and Djibouti reduced the level of their diplomatic missions in Qatar.

Last week, Kuwait, which is serving as a mediator between Qatar and the Gulf States, handed the demands of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain over to Doha. The requests include the severance of Qatar’s relations with Iran, closure of Turkey’s military base on Qatar’s territory and a shutdown of the Al Jazeera TV channel. Doha was given 10 days to implement the demands, the deadline expired on Sunday.

Qatar has called the conditions impossible and urged for their revision.


Four Arab states to continue efforts to change Qatar’s policy – Egyptian FM

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Sputnik – Four Arab states boycotting Qatar will pursue their commitment toward changing Doha’s policy, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

CAIRO (Sputnik) — On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt broke off diplomatic relations and communication with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and interfering in their internal affairs.

“[Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh] Shoukry confirmed determination of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to change Qatar’s policy which stands for destabilization in the region by financing and harboring terrorist organizations,” the statement issued following a telephone talk between Shoukry and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini read.

On June 23, Kuwait, which is serving as a mediator between Qatar and the Gulf States, handed the demands of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain over to Doha. The requests include the severance of Qatar’s relations with Iran, closure of Turkey’s military base on Qatar’s territory and a shutdown of the Al Jazeera TV channel. Qatar missed the deadline for the response set for Monday and called the conditions impossible.

Egypt, France, Sweden call for UNSC meeting over al-Quds tensions

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Press TV – Egypt, France, and Sweden has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting over the recent escalation of tensions concerning the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds.

The assembly would be to “urgently discuss how calls for deescalation in Jerusalem can be supported,” said Sweden’s political affairs coordinator Carl Skau on Saturday.

After the call was made, the UNSC announced that a closed-door meeting over the recent unrest in East Jerusalem al-Quds will be held on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian health ministry announced that a 17-year-old Palestinian has died of wounds he received in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank.

Oday Nawajaa had been hit by live fire and critically injured at al-Azariya east of Jerusalem al-Quds, noted the ministry.

It added that another Palestinian youth also died on Saturday in the West Bank village of Abu Dis in an incident related to a petrol bomb.

A Palestinian protester waves the national flag during clashes with Israeli forces near the border fence east of Jabalia refugee camp on June 23, 2017, following a demonstration marking al-Quds Day.

EU calls on Israel, Jordan to deescalate situation

The EU has also urged Israel and Jordan to cooperate to “ensure security for all” in Jerusalem’s Old City following the recent increase in clashes.

“We encourage Israel and Jordan to work together to find solutions that ensure security for all,” said a statement released by the EU.

The recent incidents occurred after at least four Palestinian people lost their lives during clashes in the occupied Palestinian lands on Friday.

Tensions began to soar after the Tel Aviv regime’s imposition of restrictive measures on the entry of worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds.

The new restrictive measures have seen the regime in Israel install metal detectors at entry points to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered the suspension of all official contact with Israel until it removed the metal detectors.

More than 300 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces in the ongoing tensions since the beginning of October 2015.

The Tel Aviv regime has tried to change the demographic makeup of Jerusalem al-Quds over the past decades by constructing settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population.

Palestinians say the Israeli measures are aimed at paving the way for the Judaization of the city.

The al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a flashpoint Islamic site, which is also holy to Jews. The mosque is Islam’s third holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Egypt invited to Astana talks on Syria as observer: Source

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Astana Talks

Tasnim – Egypt has received an invitation to join the talks on Syria in Astana as an observer, an Egyptian source familiar with the situation around the intra-Syrian settlement informed TASS.

“Egypt has been invited to take part in the Astana process as an observer,” the source said. “Egypt is expected to join the negotiations.”

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Ansari had said following sixth round of the Syria talks in Astana held in mid-September that the guarantor countries of the Syrian truce (Russia, Iran and Turkey) were holding consultations on sending invitations to new observers of the Astana process.

Russian Presidential Envoy for the Syrian Settlement Alexander Lavrentyev said that China, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon could act as observers.

The next round of the negotiations in Astana is scheduled for late October.

Saudi Arabia requests urgent Arab League meeting over Iran: Egypt state news

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Arab League foreign ministers attending an emergency meeting in Cairo

Reuters – Saudi Arabia has called for an urgent meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo next week to discuss Iran’s role in the region, an official league source told Egypt’s MENA state news agency on Sunday.

The call came after the resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister pushed Beirut back into the center of a rivalry between Sunni kingdom Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran and heightened regional tensions.

Reporting by Mostafa Hashem; writing by Patrick Markey; editing by Susan Fenton

Egypt tries to avoid a fight as allies escalate against Iran

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AP — Egypt faces high expectations from Saudi Arabia and its other Persian Gulf Arab benefactors that it will have their back as tensions rise with their rival Iran, including throwing the weight of its military — the largest standing Arab army — into the crisis if needed.

But Egypt clearly has no desire to be dragged into a military conflict or to see the tensions spiral into another Saudi-Iran proxy battle like the many that are already tearing up the Middle East.

Its reluctance could lead to frictions between Cairo and Riyadh.

Egypt’s leadership has been striking a balancing act, giving nods of support to its Persian Gulf allies while trying to defuse their escalations against Iran.

Last week, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi proclaimed that any threat to Persian Gulf security “is a threat to our own national security,” warning Iran to stop meddling. But he also said the region “has enough instability and challenges as it is” and doesn’t need a crisis with Iran or Hezbollah, and he called for dialogue to resolve tensions.

Other Egyptian officials sharpened their rhetoric against non-Arab, Shia Iran, but have not embraced the sectarian or ethnic slant used by their Sunni-led Gulf friends.

In the past month, Saudi Arabia has twice accused Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of acts of war against it. A direct war between the two regional powerhouses still seems unlikely; but the heightened rhetoric raised fears that it wasn’t out of the question or that a new proxy fight could erupt in Lebanon.

Egyptian commentators have bluntly warned against getting mired into a military conflict initiated by the Saudis.

“Egypt’s real national duty is to tell our brothers … that we are with them to defend the security of Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf and the entire region … But that does not mean that we get dragged by them into wars and conflicts that are essentially sectarian and benefit no one except the enemies of the (Arab) nation,” the editor of the newspaper Al-Shorouk, Imad Hussein, wrote this week.

Hussein, who is close to the government, made sure to praise Saudi Arabia’s regional role, its financial support for Egypt and its custodianship of Islam’s holiest shrines. He also avoided naming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the throne behind the kingdom’s more hawkish anti-Iran stance. He has driven aggressive regional policies, including military intervention in Yemen and the ostracizing of Qatar — a move that Egypt fell in line with.

Another prominent commentator, veteran opposition figure Mohammed Aboul-Ghar, counselled the government to stay out of any potential Saudi-Iran conflict, arguing that Egypt’s army was needed to fight an insurgency by Islamic militants and protect the porous borders.

“Coming close to that dangerous (Persian Gulf) region is a horrifying prospect. It’s neither wise nor sound to even talk about that,” he wrote in Tuesday’s edition of the Cairo daily Al-Masry Al-Youm.

Saudi Arabia has bolstered el-Sissi with massive financial backing as the general-turned-president struggles to overhaul Egypt’s dilapidated economy. The kingdom is estimated to have given Egypt more than $10 billion in grants and soft loans since 2013 in addition to numerous free shipments of fuel worth tens of millions of dollars.

Still, Egypt has been willing to resist Saudi demands. In 2015, it came under heavy Saudi and Persian Gulf pressure to send ground troops to fight alongside a Saudi-led coalition against Iranian-backed Shia rebels in Yemen.

Instead, Egypt restricted its involvement to deploying warships and aircraft on patrol and reconnaissance missions in the southern reaches of the Red Sea. Egypt has bad memories from its intervention Yemen’s civil war in the 1960s, when it backed republicans against a Saudi-backed monarchy in an ill-fated and costly military adventure.

Egypt has also stayed out of Riyadh’s campaign to oust President Bashar Assad, supported Russia’s military intervention there on Assad’s side and negotiated local cease-fires between the government and rebels.

Those differences angered Riyadh, prompting a temporary suspension of aid to Egypt earlier this year.

In the end, Saudi Arabia “did not get the foreign policy changes it wanted (from Egypt) in return for its generous support,” said Eric Trager of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

“The Saudis have learned to live with limited Egyptian involvement in Yemen,” he added.

The Saudis and Egypt have somewhat patched up the ill-feelings. Now Cairo wants to avoid a new falling-out over Iran.

Tension has been running high between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The kingdom charged that a missile fired by Yemeni rebels toward Riyadh this month could be considered “an act of war” by Iran, which it accused of providing the missile.

Things further heated up when Lebanon’s prime minister, Saad al-Hariri, resigned in a pre-recorded message aired from Saudi Arabia, blaming Hezbollah. Riyadh swiftly criticized Hezbollah, saying its aggressions could be considered a “declaration of war.”

Still, Egypt seems determined to avert any slide toward armed conflict.

El-Sissi dispatched his foreign minister to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. In Riyadh, the minister met with the Saudi crown prince and, it appears, counselled backing off an escalation with Iran.

“The foreign minister was at pains to convey Egypt’s concern to see the region spared any tensions that would deepen the instability and polarization it’s already seeing,” the minister’s spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said of the Tuesday meeting.

Egypt’s track record under el-Sissi shows his reluctance toward military action unless its own territory is directly threatened or if the Gulf is subjected to a clear-cut aggression.

“Egypt adopts a deeply entrenched position against military solutions,” presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in published comments this week.

Michael W. Hanna, a Mideast expert at the Century Foundation in New York, said Egypt does have concerns “about what the Iranians are doing in Syria and Yemen.”

“But Iran is not a high-level priority for Egypt. It does not worry about Iran the same way the Saudis do.”

Lebanon’s PM to arrive in Egypt Tuesday after unexpected resignation

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saad-hariri

Sputnik News- Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who unexpectedly announced his resignation on November 4, will arrive in Egypt on Tuesday, according to Lebanese media reports.

According to Almustaqbal newspaper, which cites the Lebanese prime minister’s press service, Saad Hariri will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi during his upcoming visit to Egypt.

The Lebanese politician is currently in Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday.

Hariri traveled to Paris from Saudi Arabia, where he announced his decision to step down in a speech aired on Saudi television. Lebanese President Michel Aoun has not recognized the resignation of Hariri, echoing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s concerns that the statement could have been made under pressure by the Saudi authorities. Lebanese officials suggested that Hariri could have been forcibly held in Saudi Arabia, but he dismissed these allegations.

Jean-Paul Chagnollaud, the director of the Institute of research and studies on the Mediterranean and the Middle East (iReMMO) think tank, noted that France could succeed as a mediator, since it had good relations with all the countries involved in the crisis.

Hariri expressed fear of assassination and criticized Iran and Hezbollah movement for attempts to destabilize the situation in the Middle East. He is expected to return to Beirut on Wednesday.

“With regard to the political situation in Lebanon, I will go to Beirut in the coming days, I will participate in the independence celebrations, and it is there that I will make known my position on these subjects after meeting President [Michel] Aoun,” Hariri said after holding talks with Macron.

FM Zarif blasts terrorist attack in Egypt

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IRNA – Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday that terrorism does not differentiate between divine or human values as it does not differentiate between places whether they are mosques or houses of worship.

Condemning the terrorist attack on a mosque in Egypt, Zarif wrote on his twitter account on Friday evening that the coward terrorism dealt another blow to the dear nation of Egypt.

Zarif strongly condemn the mean act of terror asking mercy for the soul of those who fell martyr in the incident and wishing quick recovery for the wounded.

Egyptian news sources reported on Friday that armed men attacked the Rowzeh Mosque and sprayed the worshippers with bullets after detinating a bomb inside the mosque,.

The same sources said that some 235 were killed and over 120 wounded in the attack.


Larijani condoles with Egypt over terrorist incident

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Larijani

MNA – Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has extended condolences to his Egyptian counterpart over the terrorist blast which killed scores of Muslim worshippers in El Arish.

In a message to Egyptian Speaker of the House Ali Abdel Aal Sayyed Ahmed, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Ali Larijani sympathized with the parliament, government and people of Egypt over the Friday mosque attack in in Bir al-Abed, about 40km west of El Arish.

Regrettably, I became aware of the incident of terrorist explosion in a mosque which left a large number of Egyptian Muslims prayers dead and injured, his message read.

“While slamming the terrible crime, I convey deepest sympathies and condolences to you, the parliament, government and nation of Egypt,” stated Larijani who later wished patience and peace for survivors of the unfortunate event.

“Eradicating all forms of terrorism requires collective effort of the international community and cooperation of all countries to deal seriously with the intellectual origins and supporters of these criminal and Takfiri groups.

At least 235 people have been killed and scores more injured in a bomb and gun assault on a mosque in Egypt’s north Sinai on Friday, in the deadliest attack in the country in recent memory.

Kerry: Israel, Egypt pushed US before deal to ‘bomb Iran’

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kerry

AP — Former Secretary of State John Kerry says both Israel and Egypt pushed the United States to “bomb Iran” before the 2015 nuclear deal was struck.

Kerry is defending the deal during a forum in Washington. He says kings and foreign presidents told the U.S. that bombing was the only language Iran would understand. But Kerry says that was “a trap” in many ways because the same countries would have publicly criticized the U.S. if it bombed.

Kerry says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “genuinely agitating toward action.”

Kerry says he doesn’t know whether Iran will resume pursuing a nuclear weapon in 10 to 15 years after restrictions in the deal sunset. But he says it was the best deal the U.S. could get.

Turkey, Egypt eyeing regional hegemony: Ex-diplomat

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MNA – Touching upon tensions between Ankara and Cairo Nosratallah Tajik says both Turkey and Egypt are seeking regional hegemony.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been at loggerheads with the current Egyptian administration since his close ally, former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, was ousted by the military in 2013.

However, statements by members of his ruling Justice and Development Party shortly before the attempted 2016 coup indicated that Turkey’s attitude toward Egypt had begun to shift. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim sent a conciliatory message to Egypt in a speech July 11, expressing Turkey’s desire to improve relations. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu raised the possibility of restoring commercial and economic ties and suggested holding a ministerial level meeting to reach a solution that serves the interests of both nations.

Recent President Erdogan’s message of condolence to El – Sisi after the terrorist attack on the Egyptian mosque seems to be another signal from Ankara to mend ties with Cairo.

To shed more light on the issue, an interview is done with Nosratallah Tajik, former Iranian ambassador to Jordan.

Turkish government sent its official message of condolence to El – Sisi on the occasion of the recent terrorist attack on the Egyptian mosque despite of existing conflicts between the two states on “Muslim Brotherhood” that is considered a terrorist group by Egyptian government . What is the reason behind Turkey’s approach in this regard?

Competition between Governments of Egypt and Turkey is not so much as battle or conflict among two states or countries. This kind of hostility between these governments is not only about “Muslim Brotherhood” but it is for reaching regional hegemony, politics domination as well as to be closer to USA. So in this context Turkish Government doesn’t like to have any internal or regional pressure on his foreign policy.

Some analysts believe the reason that Turkey tries to get closer to Egypt is to decrease pressures on Muslim Brotherhood as a mediator. What is your opinion?

Our region and its problems and priorities have been changed since there are lots of new problems and issues and new atmosphere of foreign elements and activities such as Trump approach to region in ISIS era.

It is said that Turkey tries to get closer to Egypt to prevent more closeness of Egypt to Saudi Arabia in order to keep balance in the region. What do you think of this?

This seems like a plain translation of what I just said in questions two without going to details. Relation between Saudi Arabia and USA have changed when Obama left White House. Trump is trying to have closer relation with Saudi Arabia to gain financial benefit rather than to have open eye on Human rights and Saudi activities in the region such as running a massacre in Yemen!

Recently, former US foreign minister Kerry said, during Obama presidency, the Egyptian government pressed US to take military action against Iran. What can be the reasons behind such hostile policy of Cairo toward Iran?

Really I don’t know how this could be an accurate quotation, but hostile policy of some countries such as Egypt toward Iran is not new. It depends on many elements such as completion of Saudi Arabia competition and their hostile policy toward Iran.

How do you evaluate the role of Saudi Arabia in continuation of hostilities between Iran and Egypt?

I don’t believe Egypt will follow Saudi hostility towards Iran any more. Egypt and Iran have their own concerns and problems. Unfortunately these two countries didn’t use their own positive potential to build a stable relation after revolution in 1979. Although Egypt doesn’t have its previous impact on regional issues but Iran should consider to make confidence building measures routes between two countries. Recent development between Egypt and Russia in military ties confirms this idea to think more about designing of such policy.

Interview by Payman Yazdani

Real reasons behind Turkey-Egypt rapprochement

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Alwaght – Turkey-Egypt relations in past few years have gone through a series of highs and lows with the major reason being the political changes in Egypt and Turkey’s way of dealing with them. The two countries first severed diplomatic ties in 1954 when Ankara declined to recognize the revolutionary government of Gamal Abdel Nasser. The two countries restored their relations after Hosni Mubarak in 1998 mediated between Turkey and Syria for their diplomatic rapprochement after the diplomatic rows erupted between them over such issues as the water share from the joint rivers, the borders, and the Kurds.

Cairo and Ankara’s ties went frayed again in 2011, when the Turkish leaders supported the uprising that brought down Mubarak. But this chill did not linger. After Mubarak’s ousting and rise to power of Mohamed Morsi, the two states experienced one of their warmest diplomatic periods.  Their warmth went to an extent that when the new government, affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood movement, launched a campaign of streets and squares renaming, it suggested that Cairo’s Simon Bolivar Square be renamed to “Recep Tayyip Erdogan Square”, taking its name from the Turkish leader.

But the July 2013 military coup led by General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the defense minister under Morsi, which drew a harsh reaction from Turkey, marked the shortness of life of the honeymoon of the relations of the two states. A set of developments worsened their ties. Attacking Egypt’s new president in 2014, Erdogan labeled him the “illegitimate tyrant.” The Egyptian leader supported the July 2016 coup against Erdogan in retaliation for his anti-Sisi stances. Egypt rendered the Cairo-Ankara relations tenser by voting against the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s resolution blacklisting the anti-Erdogan Gulenist Movement, whose leader Fethullah Gulen was blamed by Erdogan as the mastermind of the coup, as a terrorist group.

But Turkey strongly condemned the November terrorist attacks that struck Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and was claimed by ISIS terrorist group. The Turkish president announced a day of national mourning in a move seen by many as an apparent Turkish shift of stance and a signal for de-escalation of tensions. Egypt responded positively to the Turkish openness. The Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Saturday hoped that Cairo and Ankara resume normal diplomatic relations by overcoming any tensions “based on the principle of non-interference.”

“There is no doubt that there are a lot of bonds between the Egyptian and Turkish people,” he said, adding “We hope relations will return [to normal] and we are always open to this.”

A set of factors should be taken into consideration in the quest for an answer to the question as why the two countries are now seeking de-escalation.

Economic drives

When the Justice and Development Party (AKP) assumed the power in Turkey in the early 2000s, Ankara put a premium on expanding trade with the regional states. To this end, the country signed a free trade deal with Cairo in 2005, paving the way for bolstered business ties with Egypt. The deal went into effect in March 2007. The agreement made the trade exchange volume between the two countries remarkably increased. The diplomatic chill after 2013 might not have influenced the trade that much, but the slowdown of the once-fast growth of trade as a result of strained ties proved unavoidable. They held the last meeting of their Joint Trade Committee in March 2012. The last session of high-level trade dialogue committee was held on November 7 the same year. In 2012, their trade touched the $5.25 billion, but in the next consecutive three years, it failed to grow larger. Rather, it suffered some downturn in 2015, moving down to $4.3 billion.

Despite that, a high-ranking Turkish trade delegation traveled to Cairo in January this year for a meeting of the Turkish-Egyptian Business Association to attend a one-day forum organized by the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC), according to the Istanbul-based Anadolu Agency.

During the forum, the president of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), Rifat Hisarciklioglu, voiced his hope for improved relations between Ankara and Cairo.

“The visiting Turkish delegation wants to increase investment in Egypt.” Hisarciklioglu, adding “We need more trade with Cairo. The tensions in the Turkish-Egyptian diplomatic relations are never useful. We have to help the two countries’ growth and trade interactions.”

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Omer Celik a couple of days before the Turkish business delegation’s Cairo visit had described Egypt as Turkey’s door to Africa and Turkey as Egypt’s door to the Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “Both know this fact,” the minister noted.

“We think we need to develop economic and cultural ties with Egypt as countries that use the two sides of the Mediterranean,” Prime Minister Binali Yildirim of Turkey told reporters at a briefing in Istanbul on August 20, 2016.

On the other side, the Egyptian government desperately needs expanded trade relations with the regional and global partners as part of an effort to boost its political legitimacy and, of course, it does not want to drag its political rift with Ankara into their business relations.

Regional developments and drifting alliances

West Asia region’s developments have been unfolding very fast in the recent years. The regional powers build alliances and engage in partnerships as they are in a race against each other for outermost influence on the regional events. Turkey has been one of the contesting parties whose regional foreign policy has undergone the most radical changes in the past few years. Turkey’s Erdogan who has been dreaming of the Turkish leadership of the Muslim world intensified competition with the Saudis after a string of events including the 2016 Turkish coup which received Riyadh backing, ousting of Morsi from power, and the Saudi-led Arab blockade on Qatar which is an ally to Turkey at least in its pro-Brotherhood agenda. Easing the tensions with Egypt can stop closer Cairo-Riyadh ties and curb the Saudi-demanded pressures on Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.

PM Yildrim in a July 2016 statement described his foreign policy as being based on looking for “more friends and fewer enemies.” At the time, he said that Turkey wanted mended relations with Russia, Israeli regime, and other countries including Egypt. He highlighted the “serious” Turkish efforts to diplomatically normalize with Cairo.

Regarding the fact that the Turkish-Western relations are now frayed and Saudi Arabia is the West’s ally and interests server in the region, Ankara is not unwilling to impair Saudi Arabia by allying with other actors for the final aim of challenging the regional alliances led by the kingdom. Egypt is the fourth of the countries— Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE—which imposed an all-out embargo on Turkey’s regional ally Qatar. Such closeness might pull Egypt out of the Saudi-led anti-Doha bloc. Moreover, the Turkish leaders want to share their pro-Palestinian agenda with Cairo.

The same willingness exists on the Egyptian side. El-Sis who is looking forward to win another term in office in the next year presidential election seeks diplomatic rapprochement with Turkey as this could bolster investment and yield promises of better economic conditions in his country and reduce struggle with the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement with deep roots and a huge influence in the Egyptian society.

Sudan sends troops to border after Egypt deploys own forces in Eritrea

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Press TV – The Sudanese army has deployed thousands of forces on the eastern border with Eritrea after Egypt, in coordination with the United Arab Emirates, dispatched its forces to a base in Eritrea.

The Sudanese forces have been stationed at a garrison in the border state of Kassala, as both Sudan and Ethiopia have shut down their borders with Eritrea, Sudan Tribune reported on Saturday.

The troops were deployed in anticipation of a possible influx of Eritrean refugees to Sudan’s border, the report said.

The deployment of forces came as Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a state of emergency in Kasala and in North Kordofan state for six months.

According to the Sudanese newspaper Assayha, the Ethiopian government has also dispatched military reinforcements to the border with Eritrea and Sudan.

The newspaper cited Ethiopian sources as saying that the deployment of Sudanese forces came after Eritrean military reinforcements, backed by Egypt, as well as rebel movements from the Darfur region in western Sudan, were stationed at Sawa base near the Sudanese-Eritrean border.

According to Al Jazeera, a number of military and security leaders from Egypt, the UAE, Eritrea and the Sudanese rebels have held a meeting at Sawa base.

New tensions have erupted between Sudan and Egypt following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Khartoum in late December. Sudan announced its decision to summon its ambassador to Egypt for consultation, hours after the head of the Sudanese Border Technical Committee, Abdullah Al-Sadiq, accused Egypt of trying to “drag Sudan into direct [military] clashes.”

The photo shows the Ottoman-era Suakin Island on Sudan’s Red Sea coast.

During Erdogan’s visit, Sudan agreed to hand over the Ottoman-era Suakin Island on Sudan’s Red Sea coast to Ankara. Turkey plans to rehabilitate the historic island in order to make it as a tourist site and a transit point for those who want to perform Umrah or Lesser Pilgrimage from Turkey to Saudi Arabia’s holy sites.

Bashir and Erdogan also signed key agreements on a variety of issues just three months after Turkey formally opened a $50 million military training base in the African country as Ankara wields growing influence in the region.

The development drew harsh criticism from the Egyptian and Persian Gulf Arab media, with some accusing Sudan of forming an alliance with Turkey, Iran and Qatar. Both the Sudanese and Turkish officials have rejected the speculation.

The Egyptian media have been severely criticizing Sudan over its support for Ethiopia and its Renaissance Dam on the Nile.

Egypt has reportedly asked Ethiopia to exclude Sudan from the negotiations about the dam, which is feared to disrupt Nile’s crucial water supply to Egypt.

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