Wednesday 11 April 2012

Egypt aligning with Iran

Washington and Jerusalem will be delighted!



A Longtime American Ally Is Now Aligning Itself With Iran.



9 April, 2012

Just as Washington took the unusual step recently of inviting members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood for White House talks to try regain influence in Cairo, Egyptians followed recent gains by the Muslim Brotherhood in parliament to pursue Tehran as strategic partner instead of Washington.

Given the increasingly close cooperation between what could become an Egyptian government run by the Muslim Brotherhood, Washington also may be looking to the Brotherhood as a potential conduit of communications to Iran, a development that could be unsettling to Israel. Publicly, the U.S. is cautioning Egypt against growing ties with Iran, while recognizing the reality of the Brotherhood's possible ascension to leadership in Egypt.

U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Ann Paterson has raised concerns about the Brotherhood's growing links with Iran. "Washington expresses its concern about the Egyptian Islamic movement's relations with Tehran," she said. For years, however, Shi'ite Iran has been a major financial supporter of the Sunni Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and quietly worked for some two years with the group to oust Washington-backed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak last year.

So, that relationship should be no surprise to Washington. Analysts say that Iran's Shi'ite form of Islam has more appeal among Egyptian Sunnis than among Sunnis in other Arab countries, partially due to Iran's opposition to Mubarak for the past 30 years. That opposition developed after Mubarak granted the Shah of Iran political asylum in Egypt following the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Now, a new U.S.-based Gallup poll taken since the Brotherhood and the more fundamentalist Salifist al-Nour party combined to establish an Islamist Muslim majority in parliamentary elections earlier this year reveals that some 56 percent of Egyptians see relations with the United States as bad for the country. This latest consensus is up from 40 percent last December. Only 25 percent say a closer relationship with Washington is a good thing, while 41 percent favor closer ties with Iran.

Furthermore, only 19 percent of Egyptians approve of U.S. government policy while 65 percent disapprove. The rest are undecided. In addition, a sizeable majority of Egyptians support replacing U.S. assistance with funds from Iran, while a decreasing number view the treaty with Israel as positive. Eighty-two percent of Egyptians questioned oppose U.S. economic aid to Egypt, up from 71 percent from last December.

The U.S. provides some $1.7 billion in assistance to Egypt, of which $1.3 billion goes to the Egyptian military. Even though U.S. lawmakers wanted to withhold the latest U.S. aid from Egypt, the White House last week decided to go ahead and approve it. The question of repealing the 1979 treaty with Israel remains debatable even within Islamist circles. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, who is from the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, indicated that Egypt would continue to honor the treaty. Dardery was one of three members of the Brotherhood who had visited Washington.

He said the Freedom and Justice Party would respect all international agreements "including Camp David." Other Islamists, however, indicated they would seek its repeal. Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, an ex-Brotherhood leader who is seeking the presidency, has stated that he would not maintain relations with anyone who "harms the relations of Egypt."

Asked if he would recognize Israel, Fotouh said, "I have not recognized Israel to this day, and will not recognize Israel." Analysts say that one of Iran's intentions is to use the increasingly close relationship it has with the Brotherhood as a way to spread its Shi'ite influence throughout the Arab world. That not only will embolden Shi'ite minorities in those countries but could produce dangerous developments for U.S. interests in the Middle East, something which may already be under way in Egypt, the largest Sunni Arab country.

This post was originally published by G2 Bulletin.

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