Egypt's Foreign Relations on Tightrope

The U.S. regional allies stand now divided between the pro -- MB led by Qatar and Turkey and the anti -- MB led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The regional front against Iran of the U.S. -- sponsored "moderates," who are united in their efforts to enforce a "regime change" in Syria, is weakened as well.

While Syria is feeling relief, Iran joined its regional rivals in Qatar and Turkey as well as Cuba, Venezuela, the U.S. and the EU in condemning "the massacre of the population" according to a statement by its foreign ministry. The new Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif   on Monday noted " how people's votes are forgotten and downtrodden."

America 's abrupt role reversal from an anti-Islamist crusader to a champion of political Islam has antagonized two of the U.S. closest Arab allies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE who promptly emerged as the major political and financial backers of the military -- supported interim government in Egypt; on the second day Morsi was removed, they contributed $12b to Cairo.

Rejecting foreign interference in "Egypt's internal affairs," Saudi King Abdullah, in a statement read Friday on Saudi television, declared that what was happening in Egypt was "an Arab affair." His foreign minister, Prince Saud Al Faisal, during a recent visit to Paris pledged to compensate Egypt for any cut in western aid, saying: "We will not achieve anything through threats."

Obviously, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait, who contributed $12b to Cairo the second day Morsi was removed, do not see eye to eye on Egypt with their strategic allies in the U.S. and EU; their position will for sure weigh heavily in their final stance.

S ome commentators described as "hysterical" the Turkish reaction, which led Egypt to accuse Turkey of interfering in its internal affairs. On Tuesday Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel was involved in the "military coup" that removed Morsi from power; the White House denied the accusation. Earlier he accused Saudi Arabia and the UAE of being partners to the "Egyptian coup." He had called on the UN to condemn the "massacres" in Egypt and described the developments in the country as a "conspiracy against the Muslim world targeting Turkey" in particular.

Turkey is a looser in Egypt's latest developments. Ankara is watching its leading regional role through an alliance with Egypt cut short abruptly and replaced by the revival of the Saudi regional leadership through the same alliance. Relations are expected to get worse between the three regional heavy weights.

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