News Analysis: Egypt at odds with Qatar over security strategy in region

The tense relations between Egypt and Qatar have been escalating regardless of reconciliatory efforts led by late Saudi King Abdullah and amid uncertain position of his successor King Salman.

On Monday, Egypt launched airstrikes on targets of the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Libya, a day after the group released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts in the neighboring turmoil-stricken country.

In an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Wednesday, Qatar disapproved the Egyptian military reply in Libya, which led the Egyptian representative at the meeting to accuse Qatar of "supporting terrorism."

In reaction, Qatar summoned its ambassador to Cairo back to Doha for "consultation," while the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) made a statement on Thursday denouncing the Egyptian accusation about Qatar as "invalid and untrue."

"The reconciliation between Egypt and Qatar was incomplete and there is a clear crisis on the horizon that might not be restricted to the Egyptian-Qatari relations but extend to the Egyptian-GCC relations," warned Hassan Nafaa, a political science professor at Cairo University.

Like many experts, the professor noted that the Saudi position after late King Abdullah and under new King Salman seemed a bit different towards Egypt.

"Saudi Arabia might have reevaluated its policies after the demise of King Abdullah," Nafaa told Xinhua, expecting an Egyptian-Saudi summit to be held soon to address the whole situation.

Unlike Qatar, most of the GCC states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, were the main financial and moral supporters of the Egyptian new leadership under President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi after the removal of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood group, which was blacklisted by Egypt as "a terrorist organization."

"The issue is far beyond the Gulf financial support; it is about strategic relations. The Gulf States should realize the significance of Egypt as the frontline for their security and stability," Nafaa said, warning that if a crisis occurs in the Egyptian-Gulf relations it will change the overall developments in the region.

Qatar was a main Brotherhood ally and it hosts a number of the group's refugees, whereas Saudi Arabia might be reconsidering its negative position on the Brotherhood as shown in the recent statement of a renowned former parliamentarian on a Gulf TV station.

"There is no doubt that the death of King Abdullah left things unclear as he was the one who led the Qatari-Egyptian reconciliation efforts and could pressure Qatar on several occasions," said Omar al-Hassan, head of London-based Gulf Center for Political Studies, at its branch in Cairo.

Under late King Abdullah, a spark of hope appeared in the Egyptian-Qatari reconciliation in late 2014 after Sisi received for the first time a special envoy of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani amid a Saudi initiative to fix the relations between Cairo and Doha.

"Accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism was unexpected and inappropriate, yet influential GCC members should pressure Qatar to stop interfering in other countries' affairs," Hassan told Xinhua.

The Gulf expert explained that the GCC rejection of the Egyptian charges against Qatar was expected "as Qatar is a member of the GCC that sees no good in accusing a Gulf state of sponsoring terrorism, especially that the charges lacked evidence."

Hassan believes that diplomacy must be the final resort to resolve the growing tension between Egypt and Qatar, expecting Saudi King Salman and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah to play the big part.

For his part, Mohamed al-Saeed Edrees, head of Arab and Regional Studies at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, agrees that the position of the new Saudi administration seems different, yet he sees that the Egyptian accusation of Qatar justifiable.

"The recent Saudi statement on the Brotherhood and the unclear Saudi stance signals new arrangements happening inside Saudi Arabia contrary to the course taken by late King Abdullah," Edrees told Xinhua.

The political researcher said the recent meetings of King Salman with top Qatari, Kuwaiti and Emirati officials show that the new Saudi king seeks to gather the GCC member states, unite the GCC position and contain Qatar.

Edrees noted that Qatar was the one that pressured the Arab League to seek NATO military intervention in Libya in 2011 and now it rejects armament of Libya against militant groups, arguing that the Egyptian accusation of Qatar has grounds.

"Growing turmoil and instability in Libya represents a direct threat to the Egyptian national security," Edrees said.

Egypt has been facing a growing wave of anti-security terrorist attacks in the Sinai Peninsula and other parts across the country following the removal of Morsi in July 2013 and the crackdown on his supporters that left at least 1,000 killed and thousands more arrested.

The beheading of 21 Egyptians in Libya adds further security challenges to the country that had to be engaged in overseas military strikes and continue fighting militant groups inside, while preparing for a long-awaited economic summit to attract foreign investments to rescue its ailing economy. Endit