Dina Ezzat reports on Mubarak's European tour and Egypt's ongoing spat with Qatar When President Hosni Mubarak arrives home later today, according to the original schedule, he might feel that his mission in the three-leg tour was accomplished. In Paris, Rome and Istanbul, Mubarak has been promoting Egypt's high-profile involvement in managing the Palestinian file. The Egyptian call for a sustainable truce between Hamas in Gaza and Israel is now being pushed by these capitals whose relations with Israel could be useful in facilitating the conclusion of a deal Mubarak promised, following talks with his French counterpart, and could be in the offing in a few days. According to Egyptian diplomats, nonetheless, it is "one thing to strike a deal and another to keep it for a year or 18 months, as Egypt is hoping, and for this purpose we need the committed support of our partners in and around this region who share our faith that another breakout of hostilities is simply a disaster for the region and beyond." During his tour Mubarak also garnered support for solidifying the shaky political posture of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose popularity is not on the increase, especially in Gaza under Hamas, and whose legitimacy, from a legal point of view, is challenged by Hamas and other political adversaries. This support, Egyptian diplomats argue, could enhance Egyptian efforts to set the stage for the launching of inter- Palestinian reconciliation talks to allow for the inclusion of Hamas in a national unity government and a reconstructed Palestine Liberation Organisation. Abbas would continue as Palestinian president entrusted with the powers to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli struggle. In Paris, Mubarak called on his interlocutors to urge Damascus, host of top Hamas political leaders, to encourage Hamas to embrace reconciliation, and in Ankara he pressed upon his hosts to promote the same. But it was on Mubarak's call for a donor conference for the reconstruction of Gaza -- now faced with a Qatari call for an alternate conference -- that the president secured most support. "Egypt is not picking up a fight with Qatar, but we cannot split world commitment to the cause of reconstructing Gaza by having two consecutive conferences," commented an Egyptian official. Moreover, he added that the Qatari plan to invite both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to its reconstruction conference could torpedo the concept of reconciliation and the "one authority" that Egypt is insisting on. Egypt was not impressed by the decision of Qatar to invite Hamas leaders to an Arab-Islamic summit that it hosted mid-January to debate an exit out of the war on Gaza, publicly declaring that it worked with Saudi Arabia to block Arab participation to that summit, which it also boycotted. Today, Egyptian officials do not deny that Egyptian diplomacy is acting to "block Qatari plans". Is this all about apparent Egyptian-Qatari rivalry in managing the Palestinian file and other Arab issues, including the conflict between the ruling regime in Khartoum and its political opponents in Darfur? "Yes it is," answered one Egyptian official without hesitation. According to this diplomat, Qatar is not really competing with Egypt, simply because it is "in no position to". "What Qatar is doing, or rather is trying to do, is to position itself in a posture of a leading Arab power that supports Arab rights. But we say that Qatar is playing a diplomatic game... because we all know that while it claims to support Hamas, Qatar has very close relations with Israel," he said. The tug-of-war between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, on the one hand, and Qatar and Syria, on the other, is likely to continue for some time, Egyptian officials acknowledge. Meanwhile, closer cooperation between Cairo and Ankara is being forged. "We believe that Turkey is working to serve the best interests of the Palestinians and we can see that it might be able to influence Hamas to suspend violent resistance. As such, we support Turkey's involvement in the Palestinian file," Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit said. Willing to respond to Turkey's keenness to position itself as a key player in the Middle East rather than a mere EU membership suitor, Egypt has called on Ankara twice in less than four weeks. The first was at the onset of Israeli hostilities on Gaza and the second during Mubarak's visit this week. Turkey has responded positively not just by supporting the Egyptian line of engagement but also by publicly announcing that it has no intention or wish to replace the Egyptian role. "We just want to help. We have no intention of doing otherwise," commented one Turkish source. This new Egyptian-Turkish partnership, some Egyptian officials agree, might be initially prompted by Cairo's show of regional strength in the face of Qatar but at the end of the day it seems to be serving Egypt's call for stability.
