Cairo- Classified documents issued by the Qatari cabinet revealed a plot by the Gulf Arab country to control the Egyptian economy following the January 25, 2011 revolution by making Egypt sink deeper into debt. The documents uncovered a series of meetings between the Qatari and Egyptian governments during the era of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi to make the Gulf Arab country the largest lender to Egypt. One of these documents uncovered an agreement between the Brotherhood government and Qatari companies to give them the right to invest in Cairo International Airport and to rent a part of the airport to be used only by the Qatar Airways airplanes. Also, the Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company was given a grace period of 12 years instead of eight in order to finalize its stalled projects in Egypt. The documents revealed other agreements between Qatar and the MB government to allow the Gulf Arab country to control the steel and tourism sectors in Egypt. Under one of these agreements, the Qatari government was permitted to establish power plants in Egypt, provided that the generated electricity is used only in Qatari projects in Egypt's Port Said governorate. One of the documents showed an agreement between former Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani and former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, during which the Qatari premier offered a loan worth 10-20 billion Egyptian pounds. When Morsi asked the Qatari prime minister why the loan was being paid in Egyptian pounds, and not US dollars, the Qatari premier answered: "Because the interest rate is higher on the Egyptian pound." Qatar had been a key supporter of Morsi and has provided financial and logistical support for many Brotherhood leaders who escaped Egypt following Morsi's ouster on 3 July 2013. On Monday, June 5, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt have broken diplomatic ties with Qatar and cut off air, sea and land access to the country over Doha's support for terrorist groups.
