Cairo: Qatar will need to take substantial steps to defuse year-long tensions with Egypt, said experts on Monday, a day after the Gulf country’s ruler congratulated the new Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi on taking office.
“Words alone are not enough to repair the damage done by Qatar to ties with Egypt,” said political analyst Fawzi Hussam. “For example, Qatar has to stop its support for the Muslim Brotherhood’s attempts to destabilise Egypt,” he added.
Relations between Egypt and Qatar have deteriorated since July last year when the army led by Al Sissi toppled Islamist president Mohammad Mursi, whom Qatar staunchly supports.
Egyptian government and media have repeatedly accused Qatar and its TV network, Al Jazeera, of being biased towards Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood. Earlier this year, Egypt summoned the Qatari ambassador in Cairo to protest what it called his country’s meddling in Egyptian affairs.
In a significant move, Qatari Emir Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and his Prime Minister, Shaikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani, on Sunday sent cables of congratulations to Al Sissi on his inauguration.
Qatari Ambassador in Egypt Saif Bin Muqadem, meanwhile, attended Al Sissi’s inauguration ceremony, although officials said his country had not been invited to the event.
There was no comment from the Egyptian government or the media on the Qatari gestures.
“In this way, Qatar shows it recognises the legitimacy of Al Sissi’s rule. But Doha will have to prove its intentions by handing over to Egypt the [Brotherhood] fugitives accused of involvement in criminal activities,” Hussam said.
Egypt says Qatar has not responded to its requests to extradite several wanted Islamists who fled to Doha in the wake of Mursi’s removal.
Egyptian authorities have designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organiz=sation and detained hundreds of its officials, including Mursi.
Hussam rules out an imminent improvement in Egyptian-Qatari ties. “I think this will not happen unless Qatar changes its behaviour not only towards Egypt, but towards other Gulf countries too.”
Cairo has recently returned to Qatar deposits totalling $1 billion (Dh3.67 billion) — offered when Mursi was in office — after Doha refused to renew them upon their maturity.
Pro-Brotherhood politician Tareq Al Malt described the Qatari ruler’s congratulation to Al Sissi as “wise and responsible”.
“Fairness dictates that we should not ask the emir to sacrifice his people’s interests for the sake of the Brotherhood,” Al Malt posted on his Facebook page.
Al Sissi, who was appointed by Mursi as defence minister in 2012, won a landslide victory in last month’s presidential election boycotted and condemned by the Brotherhood as a “farce”.
