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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi began a two-day visit to Qatar on Tuesday, his first since Cairo and Doha restored relations last year following a regional diplomatic rift.

The Egyptian presidency said Sisi would discuss "bilateral and regional issues" with Qatar's ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who had already visited Egypt in June.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain had boycotted Qatar from 2017 over charges it supported Islamic extremism and kept close ties to Iran. An agreement to end the row was struck early last year and Qatar and Egypt have moved quickly to rebuild relations.

Economic cooperation will not be absent from Sisi's talks in Doha however, frank discussion of the situation in Libya and the Qatari position on the Muslim Brotherhood is expected to top the agenda of his discussions with the emir, analysts say.

The results of the visit, they believe, will determine the shape of the relationship between Cairo and Doha in the immediate future.

Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Hassan Haridi told The Arab Weekly that Sisi's visit aims to anchor reconciliation between the two countries against the background of the decisions of the Al-Ula summit in Saudi Arabia, in January 2021.

He added that Sisi will focus on moving ahead with the process of normalising bilateral relations but will also raise regional concerns, including the means of preventing escalation in Libya, calming tensions in Syria and issues related to the upcoming Arab summit scheduled for November in Algiers.

The Egyptian president, Cairo analysts say, wants to explore the limits of Doha's involvement in the Libyan crisis where the Qataris have intensified their contacts with protagonists at a time when other international efforts to help settle the crisis seem to be a state of flux.

During the past few days, Doha has welcomed Interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, then Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh, who supports the rival government of Fathi Bashagha, whom Qatar could be also receiving soon.

Experts say Doha is likely to be preparing a new formula for a settlement in Libya.

Egypt's Libyan role seems to be stuttering as its efforts towards unifying the Libyan military have not produced a breakthrough by ending division between rival forces and so laying the ground for reconciliation and the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections.

In the meanwhile, Turkey has recently opened channels with Libyan political actors in both the east and west of the country and received leaders from various camps. Ankara is seen as leveraging its continued military presence in Libya, its strong connections to mercenaries and armed militias as well the absence of a clear international vision to resolve the country's crisis.

Analysts say Cairo could find in any active Qatari involvement in Libya a means to contain Turkish encroachment. From that perspective, Sisi may encourage Doha to carry on with its mediation in the Maghreb country's crisis.

Egypt still has misgivings, however, about Qatars ties to regional political Islam, even though it has tended to overlook the issue in its continued focus on improving relations with Doha.

Qatar has seemed reluctant to make a major concession to Cairo on this vital issue, as it still embraces Egyptian Islamist leaders, although it has moderated the critical tone of Egyptian authorities by the Doha-sponsored Al Jazeera channel. However, sharp criticism of Cairo is a key feature of the programmes of another Qatari-owned channel, Al Araby TV, which has recently moved its headquarters from London to Doha.

Economic concerns will be dwarfed by regional policy consideration but nevertheless not totally ignored.

During his visit, Sisi will meet Qatari companies and the Egyptian-Qatari business council, Egyptian diplomatic sources said.

Egypt and Qatar signed three memomoranda of understanding, including one between the two nations sovereign wealth funds, the Egyptian presidency announced on Wednesday.

Since resuming relations, rEguypt and Qatar have struck deals worth up to $5 billion.

Financial pressure on Egypt sharpened after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February because of the flight of portfolio investment, a loss in tourism revenue and rising global commodity prices.

Cairo has been negotiating for a new loan with the International Monetary Fund for several months.

In June, the Egyptian finance ministry said Qatar had made a $3 billion deposit in Egypt's central bank three months earlier, adding that an additional $2-3 billion of investments were under discussion.

Originally posted here:
Libya, Muslim Brotherhood expected to top Sisi's agenda in Doha | | AW - The Arab Weekly