Egypt’s Interest in Iraq, Iran Is Economic, Not Ideological
Despite the concerns of Gulf states that Egypt’s recent rapprochement with Iraq, and by extension Iran, is founded on an ideological basis, experts assert the reason is purely economic, Abdelrahman Youssef writes.
With the end of the Arab summit in Doha two days ago, many observers are studying the new balance of power that is changing by the day, especially among the major Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, in light of the Arab revolutions’ repercussions in them. The ongoing Syrian revolution against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime made great diplomatic strides when Syrian oppositionist Moaz al-Khatib sat on Syria’s seat at the summit.
Among the relationships that may affect the course of events is the one between Egypt and Iraq. Ever since the Egyptian prime minister, accompanied by a delegation of businessmen, visited Baghdad in early March, there has been a lot of talk about the future of that relationship and how it will impact the region. Both of these countries are major players in the region and have rich history and governments with religious roots. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is considered the strongman of Shiite Iran, while Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi comes from the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood. In addition, both of those countries have large populations and share economic ties. The number of Egyptians who work in Iraq once reached 5 million.
The highlight of the visit was the signing of an agreement between the two countries’ oil ministers. The agreement stipulates laying a pipeline from southern Iraq to the Red Sea in Egypt, passing through Jordan. The oil transported in that pipeline would be refined in Egypt and exported, in agreement with Iraq, after Egypt has taken its share of diesel, or 4 million barrels per month.
But the two sides also signed other agreements about infrastructure, lifting the ban on Egyptian dairy exports and releasing all Egyptian prisoners in Iraq. Questions have been raised about the secret behind this rapprochement, when Egypt and Iraq disagree on Syria. There have also been questions over whether the Gulf countries, which are afraid of Iraq and consider it to be an extension of Iran, are happy about that relationship, given that it affects the regional balance of power.
