Egypt first?

Dina Ezzat reports on the changing direction of Egyptian-Arab relations

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Egyptian-Syrian reconciliation at a presidential level is in the making, say Egyptian and Syrian officials. The reconciliation, which has been mediated by the Saudi monarch for months now, is nearing a successful conclusion, they add.

According to one Egyptian source, the three-way summit that Saudi King Abdullah has been trying to orchestrate for the past few weeks could actually take place "some time in February".

The question, of course, is whether or not the reconciliation will extend beyond a presidential get-together, though even that, given the level of animosity between Cairo and Damascus, is no small achievement.

Disagreement between the two, says one Egyptian official, is about far more than the "harsh statements that President Bashar Al-Assad made a few years ago when he bluntly referred to Arab leaders who favour negotiations with Israel over resistance as half-men".

It is more than a war of words. Cairo disagrees with the basic thrust of Syria's foreign policy, including its close ties with Iran, intervention in Iraq and direct support for Hamas in Gaza and Hizbullah in Lebanon.

For their part, Syrian diplomats say that if Egypt has opted for a special relation with the US and a come-what- may détente with Israel it cannot expect Syria to follow.

"Egypt makes its own choices and we make our own choices," said one Syrian official.

Syria is not alone among Arab countries in complaining of Egyptian "political chauvinism". Egypt, they suggest, is seeking to impose its foreign policy choices on the entire Arab world. Cairo, they add, presumes that the Arab world still perceives Egypt as the Arab nation's uncontested leader.

Critics of this alleged Egyptian chauvinism come from different Arab quarters: north African capitals, Sudan, political forces in Iraq and Lebanon and, of course, Qatar and Syria.

In recent years Egypt has faced a growing number of Arab adversaries, ranging from the Syria supported Lebanese resistance movement, Hizbullah to the Qatari-owned Al-Jazeera satellite channel.

Egyptian officials have repeatedly argued that their country's leading role is being attacked by such adversaries in order to reduce Arab influence and consolidate Tehran's regional weight.

Commentators close to the government have increasingly argued that Egypt needs to move away from its "big Arab sister" role and adopt a policy of "Egypt first".

Egyptian officials acknowledge that some recent political decisions -- including the plan to install thick steel plates underground to "secure the border with Gaza" -- have been inspired by this "Egypt first" approach.

One Egyptian diplomat, who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly on condition of anonymity, said: "Are we doing this to get the Israelis and Americans off our back over the smuggling issue? The answer is yes and we have the right to do so."

"We have close economic relations with the US and we have the right to worry about them," he added, an indirect reference to American aid. He also argued that it was better for Egypt to reduce smuggling of food and arms from Egyptian territories to Gaza by constructing an underground steel barrier than for Israel to undertake military operations to destroy the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza.

Egyptian officials also point out that Qatar is on very shaky ground when it uses the Qatari owned Al-Jazeera satellite channel to criticise Cairo when Doha itself maintains direct and cordial ties with the US and Israel.

At the end of the day Cairo seems to be facing serious difficulties in administering its Arab relations, notwithstanding the protestations of local officials, ever ready with a long list of joint Egyptian-Arab activities, including trade and cultural cooperation with Damascus, technical support for the reconstruction of Iraq, political support for Palestinian rights and cooperation with Algeria sustained despite the recent public feud over a football game. That said, few officials would argue that Egypt is still perceived as the leading Arab country.

When Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa ends his second term in office in May 2011 it is far from certain that his successor will be Egyptian. Algerian, Syrian and Qatari diplomats say that Cairo can no longer count on their automatic support. Egypt, they add, has monopolised the post for long enough and now is the time for other Arab capitals to have a shot at running the pan- Arab organisation.

Does this constitute a sign that Egypt's status in the Arab world needs attention?

"We are still about two years away from that day and there will be competent Egyptian candidates," answered one senior Egyptian diplomat. He did, however, stop short of saying that any Egyptian candidate would run for the post uncontested, as has traditionally been the case.