AP, Cairo :
After a request from the Saudi monarch, Egypt on Wednesday vowed to support a reconciliation agreement between its Gulf patrons and Qatar aimed at easing regional tensions linked to Doha’s support for Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood.
The tensions, which are also connected to Saudi-Qatari competition for influence among Syrian rebel groups, escalated following last year’s overthrow of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s Brotherhood-backed government. Qatar gave billions of dollars in aid to Morsi’s government before it was overthrown by the military amid massive protests against his yearlong rule.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have since stepped in with billions of dollars in aid for the military-backed government. The UAE and Saudi Arabia perceive the Brotherhood as a threat because of its political activism. Both countries, as well as Egypt’s new leadership, have branded it a “terrorist group.”
After a request from the Saudi monarch, Egypt on Wednesday vowed to support a reconciliation agreement between its Gulf patrons and Qatar aimed at easing regional tensions linked to Doha’s support for Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood.
The tensions, which are also connected to Saudi-Qatari competition for influence among Syrian rebel groups, escalated following last year’s overthrow of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s Brotherhood-backed government. Qatar gave billions of dollars in aid to Morsi’s government before it was overthrown by the military amid massive protests against his yearlong rule.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have since stepped in with billions of dollars in aid for the military-backed government. The UAE and Saudi Arabia perceive the Brotherhood as a threat because of its political activism. Both countries, as well as Egypt’s new leadership, have branded it a “terrorist group.”
