Egypt: Sisi very wrong to follow Saudi regime: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Redwan Rizk, political commentator from Beirut, about Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah’s first trip to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, since the 2011 uprising in Egypt.

What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview. Press TV: What do you think about the implications of the strong alliance that we are seeing between Saudi Arabia and the new government in Egypt?

Rizk: First, it’s very strange because historically Saudi Arabia and Egypt were not in a good term at all. On the contrary, they had a history of conflict and confrontation on many many fronts, especially if we remember the Abdol Naser’s time in Yemen over also many Arab issues at that time and the following time in the 70s and the 80s Egypt [and Saudi Arabia] were not in a good term at all.

On the contrary, they were just opponents and they were fighting over just their decisions or the control of the Arab world and these confrontations led to a very sensitive crisis between both countries.

But now we are seeing a new era is being written by the Sisi and King Abdullah and this is due to the presence of the Arab world and Islamic World because we can see it. It’s obviously that they agree on many, they have some sort of agreement over many many files in the region especially they think that, especially the Saudi’s monarchy thinks that they are eligible and they have all the right to control or to lead the Islamic world.

First, because they are the richest country, they have this kind of enthusiasm and the dreams about becoming the Vatican of the Islamic world and third, they have the ideology and this is the main important…

So, that’s why they believe that throwing out, ousting Morsi out of the presidential palace and that limited the power or putting an end to the Muslim Brotherhood dreams in controlling Egypt and spreading around in the Arab world, that brought both countries together into the same camp, the same alliance.

So, the Saudis need the largest Arab country to support their dreams and their maps in controlling the Arab world and become the first Islamic country to lead the Islamic world. And they believe that they need this Egypt very much, they need the power of Egypt. They need the hundred million people behind Mr. Sisi in order to support their plans into the Arab world and Islamic world because they are very sensitive and they feel that so competitive with the Turks because the Turks support Muslim Brotherhood so much.

After all, they still spread the words since three decades of the danger of Islamic Republic of Iran and they believe that Iran is a competitor, just spreading the influence of the revolution of Iran and the Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia believe or they still feel this is a threat for them.

So, it’s not strange to see both countries putting an end to a history of conflicts between both of them and they are getting together especially Mr. Sisi now, after the Egyptian economy is in a deep trouble suffering, and the generosity of the donations came from the [Persian] Gulf area from especially Saudi Arabia, Kuwait in order to help Sisi controlling the economy.

In return Sisi will stand or support the Saudi’s policy and become instead of becoming a leader in the Arab world, now Sisi started a very wrong move by becoming a follower to this brutal regime of monarchies in Saudi Arabia.

I think this is a very wrong move made by Sisi because no matter what he will do, his economy will not recover just by aids. He needed some more of, kind of, reforming his government, putting an end to corruption suffering Egypt for many many years and this move will not put Egypt back in the lead in the Arab world.

On the contrary, now Egypt is becoming just a follower in the Saudis, in implementing the Saudi’s policy in the Arab world and the Islamic world.