By Riyadh (Mohamed Otaif)
Al Arabiya, , 04 July 2012  – With speculations rife about the nature of Egypt’s relationship with its neighbors following the coming to power of a Muslim Brotherhood president, political analysts pointed out the necessity of GCC countries establishing strong ties with the “new Egypt” and preventing Iran from interfering in Arab affairs.

Egypt is expected to face a lot of challenges in the near future and that is why Gulf nations should make sure they play a positive role in helping the transition to stability and development, said political analyst Abdullah al-Nafeesi.

“We have to remember that this is the first time the Muslim Brotherhood come to power since 1928 and they are bound to face a lot of difficulties,” he said. “It is not in the interest of GCC countries to add to these difficulties.”

Nafeesi explained that the Muslim Brotherhood already has enough on its plate with the countless domestic problems Egypt is currently facing and they will require the support of neighboring countries.
“If we don’t support them, Iran will do so and we will therefore be allowing it to interfere in Arab affairs.”

Nafeesi stated that the most important thing is keeping Iran and Egypt apart.

“This will only happen if we befriend the new Egyptian regime, but if some of our officials antagonize the Brotherhood or the president, this will offer a golden opportunity for Iran to step in. That is why we have to make sure we forge an alliance with Egypt, an Arab and Sunni nation, to counter Iranian influence.”

Iran, Nafeesi pointed out, has already shown its face in several countries in the region like Syria and Yemen and Gulf nations should make sure this is not repeated with Egypt.

Nafeesi added that the new president, Mohammed Mursi, has already issued positive statements about Egypt wanting to establish strong ties with Gulf nations.

“He was wise enough to rise above any disagreements that might have existed between Egypt and some Gulf countries and to stress that this is not be generalized on the entire region.”

For Nafeesi, it is not wise of some Gulf countries to host former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq or former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, both senior officials of Mubarak’s regime, and their families.

“If we want close ties with the new Egypt, we shouldn’t be doing this.”

Political writer and manager of al-Arab channel Jamal Khashukji argued that the Muslim Brotherhood do not intend to provoke any parties whether inside or outside Egypt.

“They are now reaping the harvest of almost one century of hard work and they know very well that their survival is contingent upon the success of their development project,” he said.

For Khashukji, security is Egypt’s top priority because restoring it would mean the return of tourism and investments.

“This will be followed by the system of governance, the constitution, and economic policies. All these will help Egypt regain its status in the region as an Arab and not a Brotherhood country.”

Khashukji said Mursi should start his international trips with Saudi Arabia owing to the special relationship between the two countries.

“Egypt should also give special attention to Syria. This will be in the interest of the new regime.”

Visiting Gaza, Khashukji noted, would mean that Egypt is challenging Israel and might place both countries in an unprecedented confrontation.

“Turkey and Sudan are also extremely important for Egypt’s future.”

Mohamed al-Sheikh, political writer at al-Hayat newspaper, said Egypt is an important country in the Arab world and therefore its stability is necessary for its security.

“This link between Egypt and its neighbors necessitates constant cooperation apart from exporting the revolution to them like some might fear.”

Sheikh admitted that Gulf nations are apprehensive about the coming to power of the Muslim Brotherhood especially on the level of the elites.

“The problem with the Brotherhood is that they do not focus on development but rather on religious manipulation,” he said. “It was because of them that several negative concepts were exported to the Gulf like antagonizing the West and regression to the past.”

He argued that if the Brotherhood succeeds in focusing on development, this will reflect positively on the rest of the Arab world including Gulf nations.

“The most important thing is that they give up the Caliphate project which they have been promoting all over the region and to focus instead on moving forward.”

For Sheikh, the success of Mursi as a president will mainly depend on the way he chooses to link himself to the Brotherhood.

“If Mursi does not behave as the president of Egypt and not a member of the Brotherhood he will definitely fail. He has to be the president of all Egyptians.”

Sheikh found a future alliance between Egypt and Iran quite unlikely especially with the Muslim Brotherhood in power.

“Mohammed Mursi is allied with the Salafis and those have grave concerns about Shiites. Iran is also not on good terms with Gulf nations with which Egypt wants to establish strong ties in the coming phase.”

Iran’s support for the Syrian regime, he added, makes it hard for the Brotherhood to enter into such an alliance.

“The Brotherhood in Syria is leading protests against the Syrian regime so the Brotherhood in Egypt cannot ally with the regime against them.”

Being close to Iran, Sheikh noted, would also embarrass the Brotherhood with the West, which is an unwanted risk at the moment.

He added that he does not expect the new Egyptian president to have limited powers for long.

“As long as the military council makes sure that security is restored and that there is no danger of forming militias like Hamas in Gaza or the Revolutionary Guard in Iran, it will not interfere in politics,” he concluded.