By Enes Kanli and Aydogan Kalabalik
BEIRUT
Egyptian support for a Russia-proposed UNSC draft resolution on the beleaguered Syrian city of Aleppo has led to a rift between Cairo and Riyadh.
Last Saturday, the council voted on a French proposal for a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria and the establishment of a no-fly zone over Aleppo. The draft resolution explicitly called for a halt to airstrikes on opposition-held parts of the city.
For the past year, Russia -- citing the need to combat to "terrorism" and support the embattled Assad regime -- has carried out numerous airstrikes in Aleppo, which have led to the death and injury of hundreds of the city’s civilian inhabitants.
Egypt, which currently sits on the council as a non-permanent member, voted in support of the French proposal, which was ultimately vetoed by Russia.
Shortly afterward, Russia proposed its own draft resolution that also called for a cessation of hostilities in Syria. Unlike the French proposal, however, it did not call for a halt to airstrikes on Aleppo.
Egypt also voted in favor of the Russian resolution, which likewise failed to garner the votes needed for ratification.
‘Painful’
Egypt’s support for the Russian proposal prompted a storm of criticism from Saudi officialdom, with Abdullah al-Muallimi, Riyadh’s permanent representative at the UN, describing the move as "painful".
Saudi Arabia is a prominent member of an anti-Assad axis of countries, which also includes most western powers, the Arab states and Turkey.
Following Egypt’s moves at the UNSC, Saudi Arabia’s ARAMCO oil company announced the suspension of petroleum aid to cash-strapped Egypt.
The apparent rift has triggered an uproar on social media, with some Saudi observers now describing Egypt as one of the Assad regime’s "most ardent" supporters, along with Russia and Iran -- the latter of which is considered Riyadh’s chief regional rival.
Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi political commentator, went so far as to say that Egypt’s support for the Russian proposal would have an adverse effect on the kingdom’s strategic interests in the region.
"Egyptian support for Russia on Syria is tantamount to supporting Iran," Khashoggi told Anadolu Agency. "It stands in direct contravention to Saudi regional interests."
Khashoggi, however, said it was still "too soon" to tell if ARAMCO would totally cut aid to Egypt or whether Saudi Arabia would change its Egypt policy to begin supporting that country’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
Saudi Arabia had led the charge against Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely-elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader. In mid-2013, Morsi was ousted in a bloody military coup that was openly supported by Riyadh.
In the three years since, Egypt’s army-backed authorities have waged a relentless crackdown on Morsi’s supporters and Brotherhood members in which hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands jailed.
Until now, Riyadh has remained a staunch supporter of Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, a former army chief who became Egypt’s president -- with the army’s backing -- in mid-2014.
‘Contradictory’
Anwar M. Eshki, head of the Jeddah-based Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Studies, described Egypt’s support for both the French and Russian draft resolutions as "contradictory".
Nevertheless, in comments to Anadolu Agency, Eshki stressed that ARAMCO’s suspension of aid to Egypt did not necessarily represent the official position of Riyadh, which has yet to release a statement on the issue.
He urged Egypt to act in tandem with Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, saying that Cairo was expected to soon issue a statement clarifying its stance.
"Saudi Arabia looks to the Egyptian people and not to the [Egyptian] administration. The people of Egypt will always be our brothers, with an important role to play in the region," Eshki said.
Egyptian researcher and writer Mohamed al-Zawawi, for his part, voiced fear that the apparent rift between Cairo and Riyadh could escalate further.
"The two countries need one another, but the diplomatic tension may spiral out of control," he told Anadolu Agency.
"Egypt could respond to ARAMCO’s move by forbidding its citizens from making the Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia," al-Zawawi said.
"Because of Saudi Arabia’s current economic situation, it may have to reduce its support for Egypt -- which could result in closer Egypt-Russia relations," the researcher asserted.
He added: "Rumors that have recently surfaced -- including one about Egypt hosting a Russian military base -- may aggravate the current crisis in relations."
