Morsi Ally Denies Qatari U-Turn On Egypt

A leader of the pro-pro-democracy National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy has denied any change in the Qatari position on the situation in Egypt following a recent Gulf deal.



"We have not been told of any change in the Qatari position on the Egyptian crisis," Ali Khafagi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), told Anadolu Agency by phone from Doha.



On Thursday, the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreed to press ahead with implementing an agreement they signed last November, which obliges its signatories not to intervene in the affairs of other member states.



After a meeting at a Saudi airbase, the foreign ministers agreed to stay away from backing organizations or individuals that threaten the security and stability of GCC member states as well as refrain from supporting what they called "hostile" media, a joint statement said following the meeting.



The new deal apparently ends months of tension between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on one hand and Qatar on the other.



The three countries had earlier recalled their ambassadors from Qatar, accusing Doha of interfering in their own affairs and providing support for Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the group from which ousted president Mohamed Morsi hails.



Local media said that the deal commits Doha to change its position on the Egyptian crisis, a claim denied by Khafagi.



"Reports about a change in Qatar's support for legitimacy in Egypt are untrue," Khafagi said.



Relations between Cairo and Doha have soured dramatically since the army ousted Morsi – Egypt's first freely elected leader – on the back of demonstrations last year against his presidency.



Following Morsi's ouster and subsequent imprisonment, a number of his supporters fled to Qatar amid a heavy-handed crackdown on pro-democracy protests by Egypt's army-backed interim authorities.



By Islam Mosaad



englishnews@aa.com.tr - Kahire