Issue No. 601
Region
Previous issue
Site map
|
|
29 August - 4 Sept. 2002 Issue No. 601 Region |
Current issue Previous issue Site map | |
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Friend or foe?
Washington seems to be trying to rework its relation with its traditional Arab allies on the basis of the principle of "you are either with us or against us"
Communiqués and resolutions issued by meetings of high-level Arab officials, including the Arab Council for Foreign Ministers, have tended to be restrained in their criticism of Washington's Middle East policies. Statements coming out of next week's foreign ministers' meeting, however, are expected to use a less neutral tone than they have of late with respect to US policies. The reason behind this expected change of tone, according to Arab diplomats, is obvious: the US is not only being far too biased towards Israel at the expense of Arab rights, they contend, but it is also being too harsh on some of its staunchest Arab allies, namely Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
While the Saudis have been going through tougher times than Egypt during the past few months, both Cairo and Riyadh are faced with increased official and non-official criticism from the US. And although Egypt and Saudi Arabia have different stumbling blocks in their relationships with the US, a senior Arab diplomat argued that root causes of the friction are fundamentally similar. "The US is now in a process of reworking its foreign policy on the Middle East. The Bush administration wants a different Middle East than the one that exists, and therefore has different expectations from its traditional allies." Consequently, Arab diplomats assert that the difficulties that Cairo and Riyadh are facing in their dealings with Washington should not be misconstrued as a sign that relations between the US and two of its best Arab allies are worsening or are in crisis, "They are simply being reworked."
In the view of some Arab diplomats and commentators, the US, in accordance with its post 11 September "you are either with us or against us" policy, is no longer willing to accept that it will inevitably see some regional matters differently than Cairo and Riyadh. Consequently, the Egyptian demonstration of sympathy with the Palestinian Authority in the face of Israeli aggression is expected to reduced significantly even as the Israeli aggression is becoming all the more ferocious. And the Saudi say on the future of the Gulf will likely have to be more in line with American views, even if this is not entirely convenient for Riyadh. So, in the view of some Arab diplomats, the ongoing debate on issues related to civil liberties in Egypt and transparency of charity funds in Saudi Arabia is only indicative of how closely "involved" the US wants to be in the affairs of its allies. In the words of one Arab diplomat, "The model of the alliances that Jordan and Qatar have with the US are those that the Americans would prefer that Egypt and Saudi Arabia follow."
In practical terms this means that both countries should make a greater show of accommodating military and political moves that the US takes as a part of its ongoing "war against terrorism". In other words, if Washington deems it necessary to launch a military operation against Iraq, and subsequently overthrows Saddam Hussein's regime and then stations some of its troops in Iraq, along with its other troops in several Gulf states, for a few years, or even decades, Egypt and Saudi Arabia should support, or at least not oppose this move. And, if the US decides that Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat has to be removed or further marginalised to provide Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon with a counterpart that he would accept as "a partner in peace", Egypt would be expected to put diplomatic pressure on the relevant parties and Saudi Arabia would be expected to invest in the Palestinian territories to facilitate this move.
When issues related to the Palestinian occupied territories and Iraq are discussed on Tuesday, the Egyptian and Saudi foreign ministers will have to make a concerted effort to balance their national interests with the US's interests in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the two most important Arab states are expected to step up their bilateral contacts to try and minimise the tensions in their relations with the world's sole superpower.
Saudi Ambassador to the US Bandar Bin Sultan met this week with US President George W Bush. The meeting came against a backdrop of obvious signs of Saudi-American tension. Saudi investors have withdrawn billions of dollars from the US, a Saudi lawyer is planning to sue the US administration for what he views as unfounded charges against and unjustified arrests of some Saudi citizens who were alleged to be associated with terrorism networks. On the US side, family members of the victims of the September attacks are launching a lawsuit against the Saudi royal family and a number of Saudi charities and banks in which they are asking for monies in excess of the assets of these people and organisations, claiming that they had funded Al-Qa'eda.
While officials in Riyadh and Washington are publicly stressing the "excellent" relations between the two countries, criticisms are being exchanged on the non-governmental level.
This scenario also applies in the Egyptian-US context. Egyptian Ambassador to Washington Nabil Fahmi is planning a series of meetings with US officials and congressmen to argue the Egyptian point of view in relation to the controversial case of Egyptian/American sociologist Saadeddin Ibrahim whose conviction for violations of Egyptian security codes in an Egyptian court of law has unleashed harsh American criticism and retaliatory moves against Egypt. Fahmi is also working to stress the Egyptian point of view with respect to stability in Iraq and the Palestinian territories as prerequisites for overall Middle East stability.
Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly on condition of anonymity, Egyptian and Saudi diplomats, alike, say that their countries have no intention -- "none whatsoever" -- of disturbing the fundamentals of their relations with the US. "The US has been in a state of shock since the attacks; we understand some of the things it does," said one Cairo-based Saudi diplomat. He added, "However, we Saudis, and I think the same goes for our Egyptian brethren, have regional concerns and public opinion to worry about. The US, as a friend, needs to show understanding, too."
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
