The Arab Summit convening in Kuwait could offer a chance for Qatar and other Arab states to reconcile their political differences, though obstacles still remain.
Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said in an interview with Al-Hayat Channel Monday that he expects the Emir of Kuwait to seek reconciliation, though he did not speak with the Qatari foreign minister or discuss reconciliation during the meeting of foreign ministers before the summit.
"At the same time we can not deny the dispute between Egypt and Qatar," he said, stressing that the problem of the Arab states with Qatar surpasses its crisis with Egypt.
Much of Egypt's dialogue towards Qatar has been aimed at criticizing its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the group that Egypt declared a terrorist organization.
"We called on Arab countries not to harbor terrorists or finance or promote their business," said Fahmy.
He stressed that interim President Adly Mansour will focus in his speech on Tuesday, at the 25th Arab Summit held in Kuwait on the counter-terrorism convention ratified by Arab states.
Egypt had severed diplomatic relations with Qatar after it condemned the violence of Egyptian authorities against supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsy, one of Doha's allies. The country had offered financial support to Egypt once the Muslim Brotherhood won elections.
The government following the ousted President Morsy was also very critical of the Doha-based Al Jazeera news network, removing its lisence in the country, effectively banning it, and arresting 20 Al Jazeera journalists, accusing them of terrorist activities.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain withdrew ambassadors to Qatar in protest at what they called the interference in the internal affairs of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
"I stress the fraternal relations that bind us with Egypt, the big sister. We support expressing the aspirations of people, and resolving the crisis through a comprehensive political societal dialogue," said Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, on Tuesday, in a speech during the opening of the summit.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
