Sisi supporter Haykal attacks Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states

Muhammad Hasanayn Haykal, a writer and journalist close to the Egyptian authorities, has attacked Saudi Arabia, saying that its regime is not sustainable. He has also criticised King Salman bin Abdul Al-Aziz personally, saying that “he is not sufficiently conscious”.

While attacking Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, describing them as “backward nations”, Haykal expressed admiration for Iran and Hezbollah, saying that Hezbollah is defending itself in Syria. He also disclosed that “Egypt is seeking to establish closer ties with Iran”, but that external pressure is being exercised on Sisi to deter him from getting closer to Tehran.

He went on to say: “Egypt, Iran and Turkey are true countries, while all the others are mere mosaics in between true countries,” hinting that Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States are nothing marginal when compared to the mentioned countries. “Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States behave in a retarded manner,” he added.

Haykal’s remarks came as part of a lengthy interview conducted with him by the Lebanese Al-Safir newspaper. Such caustic criticism of Saudi Arabia is the first of its kind to emanate from such a senior level in Egypt after the military coup perpetrated by Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi on 3 July, 2013.

It is well known that Haykal is one of the closest journalists and writers to the Egyptian presidency since the ascendance of Sisi to governance. Haykal met with Sisi in 2010, before he was promoted to head of the armed forces; immediately after the coup, he said in an interview that Sisi was a true nationalist as “he caved to people’s demands on 3 July, removing Morsi from office.” Some Egyptians claim that it was Haykal who authored the speech delivered by Sisi on 3 July, 2013, which marked his coup against the elected president. He used his journalistic influence to elaborate the narrative of the Muslim Brotherhood being a terrorist organisation and referred to their government as a “militia” and a “mafia” in January 2013. He is thought to be one of Sisi’s closest advisors.

In his interview with the Lebanese newspaper, which was seen by Arabi 21, Haykal said: “If we were to focus on the essence of the matter, I doubt very much that Saudi Arabia will be able to surpass its crisis. However, I do not know what the end will look like and into what the crisis is likely to develop. King Salman is not sufficiently conscious and the members of the younger generation are arrogant and overwhelmed by conceitedness. The Saudi regime is not sustainable. As for the alternatives, there are none. No one seems to have any authority to become an alternative. There is a real problem. This is what keeps Saudi Arabia.”

Haykal went on to say: “The army in Saudi Arabia is controlled by the princes of the [Royal] family. They are so clever that the main units within the army are commanded by princes. Is there anyone who possesses the required credibility? I have no idea. They are all equal and no one seems to be the alternative. The current state of conflict is with the emerging bourgeoisie.”

He added, with reference to the inability of the Gulf States to stand up to the recent nuclear agreement with Iran: “Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States are too weak to disrupt the nuclear accord… Obama is an eloquent orator, but he is a week president in the strong American system.”

Haykal portrayed Iran as “exhibiting [a] legendary steadfastness” that enabled it to conclude the nuclear deal with the Western powers, including the United States. He considered that “the only challenge remaining in the region when it comes to US policy is Iran,” which, according to him, should be recognised by the United States as reality. He stressed that the United States has no other solution.

Haykal also said: “The fighting Hezbollah [is engaged in] inside Syria is an act of self defence and is not a battle intended to prove influence.” He added: “Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah has a specific [illuminating] streak, so we should not burden him with what he cannot bear.”

The most significant part of Haykal’s interview was when he disclosed that “Egypt is seeking to forge closer ties with Iran.” However, he pointed out that there are attempts to dissuade Sisi from having any rapprochement with Tehran, as he put it. But he did not disclose any information about which circles might be putting pressure on Sisi to prevent him from opening up to Iran.

“The nuclear agreement will cause an uproar inside the congress, but it will endure,” he added. He considered that “what changed things was not Obama [himself] but the steadfastness exhibited by Cuba and Iran.”

He went on to say: “America is preoccupying Iran so as to seize full control of both Syria and Jordan.” Haykal also sees that “the Iranian -American contradiction is not over. So, either the regime is changed or it is toppled.”

Regarding the crisis in Syria, Haykal said that: “If we talk about dividing Syria, it implies talking about dividing Iraq.” He considered that “the Kurds have the right to have their own state that speaks their language and expresses their national identity.”

As for the Muslim Brotherhood, he said: “the strength of the organisation emanates from the fact that it inherited highly influential Sufi organisations in Egypt.” He explained that “Hassan Al-Banna was a Sufi who used the [pre-existing] Sufi infrastructure.” He claimed that Hassan Al-Banna delivered a statement in his office at the Al-Akhbar Al-Yawm newspaper in which he said that “the extremists within the organisation are neither Brothers nor Muslims.”

Haykal concluded that the Arab world needs between 12 and 15 years for the chaos to come to an end, but despite this “Egypt is not in danger [of being threatened] by ISIS.” He regarded that “Egypt’s conditions are not bad”, despite the recent bombings and the fierce battles waged by the Egyptian army in Sinai.