Reacting to what it described as flagrant interference in Egypt's domestic affairs, the Foreign Ministry this week summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires and the Qatari ambassador to Egypt to the ministry's offices in Cairo. The move was taken as being a way officially to convey to both officials that any interference in the domestic affairs of Egypt would be firmly rejected. Various countries had acted in a negative way towards Egypt in the past, Ambassador Raouf Saad, Egypt's former ambassador to Russia, said. However, they had not issued provocative statements against Egypt, allowing Egypt to continue its wise and prudent approach in its relations with these countries. “But this week, Qatar and Iran both issued official statements against Egypt. We had to respond,” he said. Egypt on Monday summoned Iranian Chargé d'Affaires in Cairo Mojtaba Amani to the Foreign Ministry over Tehran's recent statement expressing concern about Egypt's “security crackdown” on Islamist protesters. “The Iranian comments were an unacceptable interference in Egypt's internal affairs,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Atti said in a statement issued on the same day. He emphasised the right of the Egyptian government to take the necessary measures to preserve the security of its citizens. It was only the Egyptian people who had the right to question the government, he said. The move came in reaction to a statement by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Morzieh Afkham, who said on Saturday that her country was “worried” by what she called the “escalation in violence” between the Egyptian army and security forces on the one hand and the protesters on the other hand. She called on the conflicting parties to exercise self-restraint and to resolve their differences through dialogue. Saad ascribed the Iranian statement to the “strategic understanding” that Tehran shares with the Muslim Brotherhood. “They want to pit the Islamist forces against the democratic forces that are now emerging in Egypt. Iran also wants to emphasise that it has an influential role to play in the region,” he added. The Foreign Ministry took similar measures against Qatar, with Egypt declaring on Monday that it would recall its ambassador to Qatar, Mohamed Morsi, after the holding of the referendum on the draft constitution for consultations. The decision aimed to show Egypt's rejection of any Qatari interference in Egyptian domestic affairs. The ministry also summoned the Qatari ambassador in Cairo, Saif Moqadam Al-Boenain, on Saturday to protest against a statement by the Gulf state expressing concerns over the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group. In the statement, Qatar described the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as “a prelude to a shoot-to-kill policy” against the demonstrators. It said that “inclusive dialogue” between all sides was the only solution to the crisis. Egypt also conveyed to Qatar its concern over the coverage of Al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based pan-Arab TV channel, for airing false information and inciting anti-government protests, also ordering it off the air. Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmi said on Sunday that there would be further steps if Doha did not review its policies regarding Cairo, adding that “Egyptian patience has an end”. A statement from the Foreign Ministry said that the summoning of an Arab ambassador “was an unusual step among Arab countries”. “[Qatar's] statement is unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of the country,” the statement added. Saad said that Qatar had issued the statement and taken other steps because it was searching for a role in the region. “Given the difference between Egypt and Qatar in size, status and other factors, the small emirate has an identity problem. So it is trying to prove that it can play a role in the region,” he said. Doha is also under pressure from the international organisation of the Muslim Brotherhood to put pressure on Egypt to slow down or ease what it sees as the campaign against the Brotherhood in Egypt. The Iranian and Qatari statements came after 17 people were killed across Egypt on Friday in clashes between supporters of ousted former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and the police during nationwide protests. In another development that reflected the popular rejection of the Qatari official stand, tens of protesters gathered in front of the Qatari embassy in Giza on Tuesday to press for severing relations with Qatar. Denouncing the Qatari statement, protesters chanted slogans against the Qatari ambassador and the Muslim Brotherhood. Last month, another protest took place at the embassy to condemn Qatar's alleged interference in Egyptian domestic affairs and its support for the Muslim Brotherhood. The protesters, comprised of groups from Sawt Al-Shaab (Voice of the People), Ana Masry (I am Egyptian) and the Popular Resistance Movement, a group of retired military personnel, burned Qatari and Turkish flags and chanted slogans against Al-Jazeera. The protesters also called for the expulsion of Qatar's ambassador from Egypt and demanded the permanent closure of Al-Jazeera's offices in the country, calling it the mouthpiece of the Qatari government. Egypt expelled the Turkish ambassador from Cairo last November, a day after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for Morsi's release. Turkey took a similar measure and expelled the Egyptian ambassador, who had been in Cairo since August. Iran, Qatar and Turkey have all been major supporters of Morsi and the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
