Egypt’s leader scrambles to save face after tapes leaked

CAIRO— In a reflection of Egypt’s massive dependence on Gulf largesse, its president telephoned an array of oilrich monarchs to control the damage after allegedly being caught on tape discussing how to milk them for cash.

The quick move from an authoritarian leader to patch things up came at a time when Egypt’s government is hoping for more help from regional allies at an international conference next month.

Gulf nations have thrown Egypt’s government a lifeline of tens of billions of dollars since Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi — at the time the head of the military and now Egypt’s president — led the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in the summer of 2013. Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood is seen as a dangerous opponent by most Gulf monarchs, and el-Sissi has waged a fierce crackdown on the group the past year.

The financial help, estimated by one analyst at some $32 billion (U.S.), helped keep Egypt’s battered economy afloat after years of instability. It also helped cement growing military co-operation between Egypt and the Gulf. Emirate planes, for example, are believed to have used Egyptian territory to launch airstrikes against Islamic militants in neighbouring Libya.

But the alleged audiotape — aired on a Brotherhood-allied TV station Saturday — was a potential embarrassment for el-Sissi. In it, he and a top aide purportedly banter in a rather unseemly way about how rich Gulf Arabs are and add up the billions they intend to seek.

Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab insisted the tape was fake, telling a Saudi newspaper Tuesday that the Muslim Brotherhood created it using actors to “drive a wedge” between Egypt and its Gulf partners. But the leaks have widely been seen as authentic.