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MEMRI Daily: April 25, 2011
The following is research published today from MEMRI’s Special Dispatch Series and the MEMRI TV Project.
*Special Dispatch Series
Special Dispatch No. 3784—Egypt/Iran/Inter-Arab Relations
Rapprochement Between Egypt And Iran in Anticipation of Renewal of Relations
Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr. Nabil Al-'Arabi has recently expressed his country's willingness to turn over a new leaf in its relations with Iran, as part of its new post-revolution foreign policy, marked by an openness to maintaining good relations with all countries and organizations worldwide and a desire to improve Egypt's regional status. Accordingly, contact has been made between the two countries with an eye toward the renewal of full diplomatic relations between them. This included an official visit to Cairo by Iran's ambassador to the U.N., Mohammad Khazaee.
Ahmadinejad's government was quick to praise Egypt for its initiative, and has depicted post-Mubarak Egypt in the Iranian press as eager to renew ties with Iran. Tehran has asked that the rapprochement be public and take place at the level of foreign ministers, and Iranian spokesmen have stressed the need to expedite the improvement of economic and trade relations specifically. The interest of Ahmadinejad's government in publicizing the renewal of Egypt-Iran relations presumably lies in the fact that this will be a sore blow to Israel, the U.S., and the West – to which Mubarak's Egypt had been an outspoken ally – and at the same time it will constitute a significant achievement for the resistance camp and for Iran's Islamic Revolution. It should be noted that in 2008, Ahmadinejad initiated a similar campaign to advance relations with Cairo, which met with intense criticism from his opponents at home and which ultimately did not bear fruit.
The recent initiative has also met with hesitancy and criticism, both from the opposition in Egypt and from Ahmadinejad's critics in Iran, who say that rapprochement between the two countries should not be rushed, considering that the situation has not fundamentally changed, even following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. Egyptian senior officials were also quick to assure the Gulf states and to calm their fears over the rapprochement between Egypt and Iran.
To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5223.htm.
Special Dispatch No. 3783—Saudi Arabia/Iran
Saudi Cleric Mohsen Al-Awaji Strongly Criticizes Iran and Says: I Don't Want It To Stab Us In the Back With Its Irrational Behavior
Following are excerpts from an interview with Saudi cleric Mohsen Al-Awaji, which aired on Al-Daleel TV on April 8, 2011:
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2896.htm.
Mohsen Al-Awaji: "The Shiite Arabs… I hate to have to use terms like 'Shiites' and 'Sunnis,' but it is Iran that forces me to do so. I met Iranians at several conferences. At times, I tried to adopt a moderate stance – which did not come without a price – and contain some of their provocations, but they just kept going on and on. It was as if they were trying to take revenge upon us – even the moderate among them. [International Union of Muslim Scholars head] Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi, one of the giants of the Islamic nation, went to Qom to meet their leaders, but ultimately he realized that this was about revenge and triumph."
To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5222.htm.
*From The MEMRI TV Project
Egyptian Presidential Candidate Muhammad Ali Bilal Supports Amendments to the Camp David Accord
Following are excerpts from an interview with retired general Muhammad Ali Bilal, an Egyptian presidential candidate, which aired on Mehwar TV on April 12, 2011:
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2895.htm.
Heated Debate on Egyptian Politics on Al-Faraeen TV Gets Out of Hand
Following is an excerpt from a TV debate between Wagih Hassan, legal advisor to the NDP, and Yahya Al-Qazzaz, a political activist from the Kefaya movement, which got out of hand. The show aired on Al-Faraeen TV on April 16, 2011.
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2898.htm.
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