Friday 17 April 2015

Saudi Fell in US Trap: Egyptians Question Sisi’s Decision to Join Aggression on Yemen

Egyptians Question Sisi’s Decision to Join Aggression on Yemen

Local Editor

A public debate is unfolding in Egypt about whether to expand the country's role in military invention against the Houthis in Yemen, creating a political predicament that could undermine the Saudi-led campaign to support the government.

President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi meeting with his political and military officials

Speaking about Egypt joining the US-backed Saudi-led aggression on Yemen, one cannot but shed light on the previous Egyptian foray into Yemen in the 1960s which was a disaster and the country was beset by domestic problems.

Further to the point, Egypt claimed it would join the coalition in its aggression on Yemen. Egypt sent naval vessels to Yemen's coast and Egyptian officials had said that a ground assault was planned.

But now there were signs that public anxiety was creating a dilemma for Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, who must balance the concerns of a public worried about domestic security and social problems, and the pull of Saudi Arabia, a close ally that had donated billions to Egypt's government.

Moreover, the memory of Egypt's war in Yemen had been resurrected in recent weeks by skeptical pundits, newspaper columnists, and political parties who opposed sending troops.

Accordingly, the debate could complicate the calculations of Saudi officials as Saudi Arabia touted the participation of 10 countries in the coalition at the outset of the assault on Yemen.

Adding to that, the message was dealt as a setback last week when Pakistan's parliament voted against joining the intervention. The Pakistani decision, in turn, was front-page news in Egypt.

"This all puts the Saudi position in quite a quandary, if they intended something far more muscular, because they were clearly trying to rely on subcontractors, so to speak," said Yezid Sayigh, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.

He added the Saudis were now faced with the prospect that "unless they were willing to put their own army on the ground, then they have no ground option."

At this level, Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud met President al-Sisi; they discussed the Yemen crisis but no announcement was made about a commitment of Egyptian troops to Yemen.

Not only this, but the Yemen debate also came when Egypt's military and security forces were battling an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula and facing a steady string of bombs and armed attacks in Cairo and other cities where on Sunday alone, 13 people were killed in two separate bomb attacks in north Sinai.

"This is the kind of situation where they [the state] could face very real public disgruntlement and dissent. There are very few issues that could produce that kind of reaction. This seems like one," said Michael Hanna of the "Century Foundation in New York City".

He added, "There has been an interesting level of questioning. That hasn't been the case in the past year and a half."

Source: the Time, Edited by website team

Egypt’s Sisi: No Ground Troops Deployed in Yemen

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Friday implied that Egypt has not sent ground troops to fight in a Saudi-US-led military aggression on Yemen.

Sisi

"Egypt is only participating in ‘Operation Decisive Storm’ with air and naval forces," Al-Sisi said in a speech at a military academy in the eastern Kafr al-Sheikh city.

"An announcement will be made if any other forces were deployed in the operation," he asserted.

Al-Sisi's visit to the military academy comes two days after two cadets were killed and three others injured when a bomb was detonated near a bus boarding a group of cadets.
Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have been since March 25 pounding Yemeni cities killing and injuring hundreds of people.


Source: Websites	17-04-2015 - 14:51 Last updated 17-04-2015 - 14:51 \|

Egyptian Commander Says Army Won’t Fight in Yemen, Saudi Fell in US Trap

Local Editor

Bilal

The commander of the Egyptian forces in the Gulf war, Major General Mohammad Ali Bilal, said that his troops will fight outside Egypt except in case of defending its national security, in an indirect response to the claims that Cairo would join a possible ground invasion in Yemen.

The Egyptian commander noted that the geographical features of Yemen and the nature of the Yemeni makes any foreign intervention impossible.

Bilal wondered about the role that the US military is playing in Yemen as it was reported that the American troops saved two Saudi pilots in Aden on the second day of the Saudi aggression, hinting at the US role in entrapping Saudi in the war.

He also stressed that although the Egyptian official stance is not publicly announced, it supports the political solution in Yemen and Syria.