Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors criticise Saudi Arabia and Turkey

The ambassadors of Egypt and Jordan in the US have shared their views on regional states with regards to “combatting terrorism”, the New Khalij has claimed. Saudi Arabia and Turkey came in for particular criticism, according to an “official document” seen by the newspaper.

The document claims that the Jordanian Ambassador in Washington, Dina Kawar, submitted the details of the meeting to an official for onward transmission to the foreign minister in Amman. In her account of the meeting, Kawar stresses that it was held at the request of the Egyptian ambassador, who showed an interest in knowing the most prominent issues discussed during Jordanian King Abdullah’s recent visit to the US capital.

The Jordanian ambassador noted that her Egyptian counterpart praised the monarch’s positions and complete harmony with Egypt’s perspectives. It was added that Jordan and Egypt can play a major role in combatting extremist ideology, while Saudi Arabia “cannot”.

Regarding Iran, the document mentioned that the Egyptian ambassador had said that US President Barack Obama chose two states from “outside” the region — that is, non-Arab states — Turkey and Iran, to control as external forces. He added that America revived Turkey’s role at the expense of Iran’s and made the region an arena for them both to operate in.

Kawar noted that Egypt’s ambassador talked about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a very negative way and stressed the need for a joint Arab position against Turkey’s policies. However, the Gulf States believe that Turkey will protect them from Iran, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

“He reiterated that he believes the Turkish threat is more dangerous than Iran’s,” she added, “but the problem is the difference in positions towards Turkey between the Arab countries, while Jordan and Egypt agree on this point.”

The New Khalij was unable to determine the veracity of this document. Photographs do not show the usual letterhead that such papers normally have, nor do they show any addressee or signatory.