[The Telegraph, U.K.]

Dar Al-Hayat, Lebanon

Iran Seeks Deal With U.S. 'At Expense of All Arabs'

"We seek peace while they [Iran] shatter it. We want to relieve the suffering of the Palestinian people, while they want it to continue it. We want to build a secular, democratic, and stable Lebanon, while they want an Iranian regime and Hezbullah's rule there."

-- Senior Egyptian Official

By Jihad El-Khazen

December 28, 2008

Lebanon - Dar al-Hayat - Original Article (English)

In the eyes of Egyptian diplomacy, Iran is playing a disruptive and subversive role on the Palestinian scene; with the $25 to $40 million it spends in Gaza every month, Cairo doesn't intend to support the Palestinians, but rather to use them as a bargaining chip with the Americans when the time comes to divide up the clout in the Middle East.

I heard from a prominent American diplomat that if negotiations fail to convince Iran to change course, the Obama Administration will with all means oppose the Islamic Republic's possession of nuclear weapons. Egyptian officials have also heard about such talk. One of these officials, however, tells me that Iran doesn't intend to produce a nuclear bomb now, but merely seeks the know-how to produce one later. As he told me, Iran prefers to reach an agreement with the incoming U.S. administration - at the expense of the Palestinians and all Arabs.

He drew my attention to the huge amount of money available in Gaza; the tunnel [between Egypt and Gaza] is leased out for thousands of euros or dollars per hour for the smuggling of goods. Hamas won't willingly relinquish control of the income-generating territories. As a result, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya may announce on January 9th that Palestinian President Abu Mazen's [Abbas] mandate has expired. In retaliation, the latter may call for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held, but with the rift persisting, separate elections could be held in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel would rejoice at this, since such a step would put the Palestinian cause on hold for some time to come.

According to Egypt, all Arab countries support the legitimate Palestinian authority of President Mahmoud Abbas. Arab foreign ministers announced this on November 29 and the Palestinian President was asked to remain in office.

[The Telegraph, U.K.]

As the Egyptian diplomats have repeatedly asserted to me, Cairo has no vested interest in what is going on; rather it seeks to further Arab interests by embracing inter-Palestinian reconciliation. But Iran is playing a disruptive role, undermining Egypt's attempt to expand its influence in the Arab Maghreb all the way into Black Africa. A cloud also remains over its relations with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood ; Egypt considers Hamas part of the movement and accuses it of following its instructions.

A senior Egyptian official told me that Iran was blatantly interfering in Egypt's Arab interests. He said, "We seek peace while they shatter it. We want to relieve the suffering of the Palestinian people, while they want it to continue it. We want to build a secular, democratic, and stable Lebanon, while they want an Iranian regime and Hezbullah's rule there."

The Egyptian complaint equally encompasses Iran's relations with Syria. The two countries cooperate and coordinate on a so-called alliance. Egyptian officials consider the arrangement harmful to all Arab interests, particularly Palestinian. After all, Iran's ultimate objective is to improve its negotiating position with the upcoming U.S. administration at the expense of the Arabs.

Egypt wants nothing from Syria; its sole complaint is in regard to its alliance with Iran, which is harming the Palestinians, Lebanon and every country in which Iran seeks to expand its influence.

Egyptian diplomacy focuses on Hamas' leaders in the Gaza Strip, who are more responsive to Palestinian suffering than Hamas leaders stationed in Damascus. Egypt, as the senior official told me, totally disregards Hamas' leadership in Damascus due to its affiliation with Iran.

Egyptian officials also refer to an alliance between Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian National Authority represented by President Abbas; facing off against an alliance comprising Syria, Iran, Hezbullah, and Hamas. Moreover, the Syrian-Iranian relationship cannot persist if direct Syrian-Israeli negotiations succeed. For Israel is imposing on Syria the condition that it break all ties with Iran and Hezbullah and stop sending checks to Hamas.

Egyptian diplomats describe any agreement with Israel as beneficial to the Syrians and the Palestinians but not Iran and its Persian ambitions in the region. For this reason, Iran is seeking to undermine any such agreement by keeping Syria from its traditional Arab allies and by widening the inter-Palestinian rift. Syria must reconsider its relations with Iran.