Why should Qatar reconcile with Egypt?
To improve ties with its Gulf neighbors, Qatar should re-evaluate its ties with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and restore its relations with the current Egyptian government.
Ever since the popularly backed coup in Egypt in July 2013, there has been a break in relations between Cairo and Doha affecting not only ties between both states but also other matters of interest. Following the devastating Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah proposed the establishment of a commercial port in Gaza to be “internationally supervised.” However, it is unlikely that Egypt, which is suspicious of Qatar’s intentions and the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Hamas that runs Gaza, would allow the construction of this vital port to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza. That is just one example of how this break in relations has had negative repercussions on third parties.
Qatar landed itself in hot water earlier this year with its Gulf neighbors following accusations that it is backing the Muslim Brotherhood. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates withdrew their ambassadors in March only to reinstate them this week following the Riyadh Agreement. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz personally called on the Egyptian government to back the Riyadh Agreement and rebuild ties with Qatar. The Egyptian government welcomed the call and declared it to be a “new era” in Arab ties.
It is politically unnatural for Qatar not to have relations with the biggest Arab state, no matter how severe its disagreements with its present government. Even though ties have significantly deteriorated between the West and Russia, the leadership still meets at the G-20 and other forums to discuss issues of mutual interest. To move forward, the Egyptian government should immediately release the three Al Jazeera journalists and reinstate its ambassador to Qatar, where up to 200,000 Egyptians are believed to be living. From its side, Qatar should rein in the inflammatory coverage of its Egypt-dedicated Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr and associated pro-Brotherhood websites that were established in London with Qatari support. Qatar should also actively take part in the planned Egypt economic conference slated for February next year to demonstrate that its support for Egypt was not only restricted to the Brotherhood government.
Earlier this year, Egypt’s former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, a close associate of the current president, said that there is a possible political future for the Muslim Brotherhood. In an interview with Reuters, Moussa said, "The road is open for them, if they so decide. Field candidates, get into the parliament, the ball is in their court."
