Muslim Brotherhood - Old Enemies Become New Friends - Egypt And Iran - Bbc News

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By Yolande Knell BBC News Continue looking at the main account Egypt changing

Mohamad Tantawi

Mohammed Mursi

Egypt's fresh President, Mohammed Mursi, desires to sign the brand new path intended for his dangerous scheme considering the nations your dog chooses to arrive at upon his first excursions elsewhere because acquiring workplace a couple of many months ago.

Last week he / she travelled that will Saudi Arabia, some sort of long-time ally of Egypt in which appeared to be near his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, wanting to put tensions aside. He has become planning going for you to China - within acknowledgement connected with it has the purpose being an financial superpower - as well as Iran, in line with the official Egyptian assert news agency.

If the particular recent visit arises while envisioned about 30 August, it has special significance.

No Egyptian head has fixed foot or so with Tehran since the mid-1970s. Diplomatic relations split down after Cairo signed a new peace treaty along with Israel throughout 1979 in addition to been given the Shah, who seem to fled Iran subsequent this Islamic Revolution inside same year.

As probably the most populous Arab land as well as a traditional regional heavyweight, Egypt, a mostly Sunni Muslim power, includes observed themselves like a political rival of Shia Iran.

Under Mubarak, it united with some other Sunni locations from the distributed of Iranian influence. There have been strained contact along with Iran's proxies, Syria and also the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, in addition when Hamas, the particular Palestinian faction which governs Gaza.

'Sunni front'

Some analysts have expressed worry within the evident choice in the new president, exactly who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood , to help reconcile having Iran. They please note that Tehran hailed Mr Mursi's election being an "Islamic awakening".

"The prospect of Mursi utilizing his location to help maintenance ties by using Iran have been hotly debated within the Western and Israeli press considering his or her selection victory within June," responses David Hartwell, senior Middle East analyst with IHS Jane's.

Continue reading the primary tale Start Quote

We're looking to include usual relations, very slow-moving in stride and also pretty tell mainly because most of us really don't faith their foreign relations at all

End Quote Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood member

"Egypt offers sided by using Saudi Arabia in addition to Jordan to help sort some sort of bulwark against what they have as a rule defined for being expansion connected with Shia Iranian hegemony in the Middle East. As such, almost any sign this Egypt's commitment to that 'Sunni front' might be weakening shall be deemed having alarm."

However, it could be this too much is currently being learn into Mohammed Mursi's judgement to attend the actual Non-Aligned Movement summit within Iran. He has a position that can be played within the actual meeting, handing on the revolving authority in the bloc, that is organized in the course of the actual Cold War being an suggest with regard to developing nations.

"Mursi's visit in order to Iran, in the event this materialises, could plainly become a new symbolically important step, nonetheless maybe significantly less important as the alarmists suggest," states that Elijah Zarwan, an Egypt expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations.

"As the present brain belonging to the Non-Aligned Movement, it would hard for Mursi to never enroll along with even now appearance seriously interested in this group, which in turn Egypt does take severely for a magnifier involving it's diplomatic influence."

He proposes that normalisation with contact will administer more time.

"Even compact tangible changes to Egypt's Iran policy will arrive simply immediately after intensive negotiations, including about Tehran's assist intended for Damascus," Mr Zarwan says. "Mursi would have to thoroughly weigh every steps toward superior associations against challenge from while in the Egyptian state, and also from Egypt's allies inside the Gulf as well as more afield."

'Careful path'

When I found your fellow member in the Foreign Relations Unit with the Muslim Brotherhood 's political wing recently, now there was a definite objective that will follow carefully.

"We believe that Iran provides pretty terrible practices within foreign interaction whether when using the Gulf countries and also with all the Syrian revolution, in addition to we certainly have a irreversible problem while using Shia challenge - they are hoping to propagate the following everywhere in the region," your standard said.

"We're not necessarily keen in order to anxiety this kind of relationship or fortify them or perhaps develop innovative links. We're wanting to have normal relations, incredibly gradual in schedule and also really warn simply because most of us don't rely on their foreign associations at all."

Iran and also Hezbollah can see their reputations tarnished by the bloody 18-month turmoil in Syria as well as their help support regarding President Bashar al-Assad as well as his Alawite sect, considered as a strong offshoot regarding Shia Islam.

"Iran's gain access to position to the Arab entire world had been through Syria. They're burning off this right now and I feel it really is extremely clear to help all people that will Iran will be assisting a barbaric Syrian regime thinking that has injure Iran's place inside the region," observed Shadi Hamid regarding the Brookings Doha Centre.

While Iran features lost a strategic foothold inside Middle East, Hezbollah has missing a very important course intended for supplies connected with Iranian weapons.

At the identical time, Hamas has moved its political leaders from Damascus, in which that they existed in exile, it's true dreams taking advantages involving the climb with strength connected with Sunni Islamist sets for you to which usually these have better ideological connections.

Egypt views per se to the appropriate side regarding historic events inside the region, along with President Mursi will wish to apply their vacation for you to Iran when a possibility to steer this agenda.

Already he has required President Assad's removal. At your Organisation involving Islamic Co-operation summit within the holy urban center with Mecca last week, he as well proposed your development of your phone class - comprising Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran - in order to mediate the most impressive to be able to the Syria conflict.

Only time period will probably convey to if this sort of an gumption arrive in order to pass, nonetheless for Egyptians this can be an opportunity to present these are regaining their particular regional clout, with that their national pride.