Head of Dubai police, Dahi Khalfan has mounted a crackdown against Brotherhood in UAE A number of former Egyptian and Emirati diplomats have warned that friction between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could intensify after an Egyptian state-owned newspaper claimed that a major Emarati official is funding Egyptian opposition groups to stir violence and unrest in the country.
The report, published in al-Akhbar daily, referred to a security investigations report and quoted "security sources" as saying that "the details of the plot will be announced soon to the public."
However, sources have told Arabstoday that the report from al-Akhbar is "untrue," stressing that the official report on the violence has not been completed.
Former Egyptian diplomat Qassem al-Masry has criticised the way in which the Egyptian government is handling its problems with the UAE government, saying that Egypt is dealing with the UAE "as if it is an opposition party rather than an independent state."
Speaking to Arabstoday, Masry ascribed the escalating tension between the UAE and the Muslim Brotherhood-led government of Egypt to offensive statements issued by Colonel Dahi Khalfan, head of Dubai police, against the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and President Mohammed Morsi, since the latter has taken charge in July 2012. "The rift was deepened after 11 Brotherhood-affiliated Egyptians were arrested in the UAE early in January, and charged with plotting against the ruling regime," said Masry.
The veteran Egyptian diplomat urged Egypt's president to arrange a meeting with the UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed aimed at clearing the space between the two governments, and returning to a friendly stage.
Emirati political science professor Mohammed Salman is pessimistic regarding the latest developments in the bilateral relations between Egypt and the UAE, warning that the escalating tension might push the UAE government to deport some 500,000 Egyptian nationals working and living in the country.
"The Muslim Brotherhood representatives have always linked UAE to the unrest witnessed in Egypt since they took over in 2012. Yet, none of the Brotherhood leaders came out to support or deny these accusations," said Salman. "On the other hand, UAE officials contacted President Morsi more than once to hold talks over the disputes between the two parties in order to clear them, but the UAE didn't get a positive response," he added.
Salman said that newly-formed friendly relations between the Egyptian government and Iran could be another reason behind the current tension between Egypt and the UAE, which accuses Iran of occupying two Emirati islands in the Arab Gulf.
Although there has been minimal tension between the two countries over the last few months, this is the first time that a state-owned press institution in Egypt has linked UAE officials to the political unrest in Egypt.