President Hosni Mubarak departed on Tuesday for the United Arab Emirates on the first leg of a Gulf tour that will also take him to Bahrain and Qatar.
Mubarak and the Gulf leaders will discuss efforts to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as well as recent developments in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Sudan. The discussion will also touch on the Iranian nuclear program and security in the Gulf region.
Analysts say Mubarak’s visit to Qatar aims to thaw relations between the two countries, which became somewhat antagonastic after the 2008 Israeli war on Gaza.
In February 2009, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit accused Qatari-based Al-Jazeera satellite channel of obstructing a Cairo-sponsored Palestinian reconciliation process by providing its total support to Hamas and ignoring the Palestinian Authority.
In March, Abul Gheit again pointed an accusing finger at Al-Jazeera, saying its Egyptian coverage is inflammatory. “The problem is with its management”, he said.” We know who manages it, their orientations and that they don’t want anything good for Egypt.”
In June, officials from Al-Jazeera said Egyptian authorities were jamming its World Cup broadcast, after the channel obtained exclusive broadcasting rights of the tournament. Later, Al-Jazeera retracted its charges, accusing Jordan instead.
