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Egypt cautiously accepts reconciliation with Qatar

Egypt has accepted a Gulf initiative launched by Saudi Arabia to achieve reconciliation between Cairo and Doha, with the former stressing that Qatar stop supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

From L-R: The Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) Assistant Secretary General Abdullah bin Juma al-Shibli, United Arab Emirates' Oil Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Qatar's Minister of Energy and Industry Mohammed Saleh al-Sada, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, Bahrain's Minister of Finance Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed al-Khalifa, Kuwait's Minister of Finance Mustafa al-Shamali and Oman's Oil Minister Mohamed bin Hamad Al Rumhi pose for a group photo during a meeting of Gulf Arab oil ministers in Riyadh Sept
From L-R: The Gulf Cooperation Council's Assistant Secretary-General Abdullah bin Juma al-Shibli, United Arab Emirates' Oil Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Qatar's Minister of Energy and Industry Mohammed Saleh al-Sada, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, Bahrain's Minister of Finance Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed al-Khalifa, Kuwait's Minister of Finance Mustafa al-Shamali and Oman's Oil Minister Mohamed bin Hamad Al Rumhi pose for a group photo during a meeting of Gulf Arab oil ministers, Riyadh, Sept. 24, 2013. — REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser

CAIRO — Egypt declared acceptance of a Gulf initiative, spearheaded by Saudi Arabia, for reconciliation with Qatar. However, certain signs indicate that the agreement has not gone past its formal appearance. A case in point of this is the new diplomatic crisis that has broken out between Qatar and Egypt as the Qatari ambassador to Cairo canceled his flight from Cairo airport after the Egyptian authorities insisted on searching him personally and asked him to take off his shoes.

Moreover, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera channel continues its standoffish policy against the Egyptian regime led by President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, describing Sisi as a "putschist" or "usurper." This recently appeared in the channel's coverage of the Muslim Brotherhood’s protests on Nov. 28.

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