Obama's second BFF also welcomes Ahmadinejad
President Hussein Obama has two best friends forever -Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsy.
Erdogan welcomed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with open arms at least as far back as 2009. And,
Morsy has done so as well. But now, for the first time,
Ahmadinejad has visited Egypt.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Egypt on Tuesday on
the first trip by an Iranian head of state since the 1979 revolution,
underlining the thaw in relations since Egyptians elected an Islamist
head of state.
President Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood
politician elected in June, kissed Ahmadinejad as he disembarked from
his plane at Cairo airport. The leaders walked down a red carpet,
Ahmadinejad smiling as he shook hands with waiting dignitaries.
Visiting Cairo to attend an Islamic summit that begins on Wednesday,
the president of the Shi'ite Islamist republic is due to meet later on
Tuesday with the grand sheikh of al-Azhar, one of the oldest seats of
learning in the Sunni world.
Such a visit would have been
unthinkable during the rule of Hosni Mubarak, the military-backed
autocrat who preserved Egypt's peace treaty with Israel during his 30
years in power and deepened ties between Cairo and the West.
But full ties between Egypt and Iran are unlikely to be restored anytime soon. It's a matter of money.
The Morsi administration also wants to safeguard relations with Gulf
Arab states that are supporting Cairo's battered state finances and are
deeply suspicious of Iran. Morsi wants to preserve ties with the United
States, the source of $1.3 billion in aid each year to the influential
Egyptian military.
Morsi's government has established close ties
with Hamas, a movement backed by Iran and shunned by the West because of
its hostility to Israel, but its priority is addressing Egypt's deep
economic problems.
"The restoration of full relations with Iran in
this period is difficult, despite the warmth in ties ... because of
many problems including the Syrian crisis and Cairo's links with the
Gulf states, Israel and the United States," said one former Egyptian
diplomat.
Egypt was a very strong supporter of the Shah of Iran before 1979. I'll bet a lot of you didn't know this little tidbit.
Egypt gave asylum and a state funeral to Iran's exiled Shah Reza
Pahlavi, who was overthrown by the 1979 Iranian revolution. He is buried
in a medieval Cairo mosque alongside his ex-brother-in-law, Egypt's
last king, Farouk.
Aren't you glad that the Obama administration continues to
give the Egyptians arms and $1.3 billion in annual aid? What is the US getting in return for all that?
I'll answer that last question for you: The US is buying the myth that there is an Arab country that made peace with Israel which is intended to last permanently. The US is paying $1.3 billion plus per year for
the myth that 'land for peace' works. Unfortunately, the puncturing of this myth is well on the way. Ahmadinejad's visit to Egypt proves it.
Labels: Egypt, Egyptian-Iranian reconciliation, Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, F-16, Iran, Land for peace, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mohammed Morsy, Muslim Brotherhood, US foreign aid
Aren't you glad we got rid of Mubarak? Morsy cozing up to Iran
The Times of London reports that in a move planned to 'send a message' to the United States, Iranian spy chief Qassem Suleimani held
two days of talks with Mohammed Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood after Christmas.
Egypt’s Islamist Government has enlisted covert help from Iran to strengthen
its grip on power, dealing another blow to Cairo’s fragile relationship with
the West.
Qassem Suleimani, Iran’s spy chief, visited the Egyptian capital just after
Christmas for two days of talks with senior officials close to President
Mohamed Morsi, The Times has learnt.
Mr Suleimani, who oversees Iran’s proxy militias across the region, including
Hezbollah and Hamas, travelled at the invitation of Mr Morsi’s Government
and his powerful backers in the Muslim Brotherhood.
I'm sure this
won't be on the agenda when Morsy visits Washington.... What could go wrong?
Labels: Egyptian-Iranian reconciliation, Mohammed Morsy, Muslim Brotherhood
Great news: Egypt looking to improve relations with Iran
President Hussein Obama must be pleased. New Egyptian President Mohammed Mosry of the Muslim Brotherhood has made
improving relations with Iran one of his first priorities.
Fars quoted him as saying he was interested in better relations with Tehran. "This will create a balance of pressure in the region, and this is part of my program."
Asked to comment on reports that, if elected, his first state visit would be to Iran's regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia, Morsy said: "I didn't say such a thing and until now my first international visits following my victory in the elections have not been determined".
Fars said he was speaking a few hours before the results of the Egyptian election were announced on Sunday.
And of course, President Hussein Obama (I notice no one has objected to my calling him that this year, unlike four years ago) was one of the first to congratulate Mosry.
US President Barack Obama called Morsy on Sunday to congratulate him on his victory. According to a White House statement, Obama underscored that the US will continue to support Egypt’s transition to democracy and stand by the Egyptian people as they fulfill the promise of their revolution. He emphasized his interest in working together with Morsy, on the basis of mutual respect, to advance the many shared interests between Egypt and the United States.
Morsy welcomed Obama's support and the two leaders affirmed their commitment to advancing the US-Egypt partnership and agreed to stay in close touch in the weeks and months ahead, according to the statement.
Obama also called Shafik, commending him on a well-run campaign, according to the US State Department.
Oh the Sunnis hate the Shias
And the Shias hate the Sunnis
Oh the Sunnis hate the Shias
But everyone hates the Jews!
What could go wrong?
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Egyptian-Iranian reconciliation, Mohammed Morsy
