Egypt’s El Sisi goes to Riyadh. Everyone’s watching the body language

RASHMEE ROSHAN LALL March 1, 2015
President El Sisi had a good relationship with the late King Abdullah

President El Sisi had a good relationship with the late King Abdullah

Today, Egypt’s President El Sisi meets King Salman and it’s not clear how good their relationship will be. The former general had a pretty good equation with the late King Abdullah but the new king may be less forgiving of his tendency to put things in a clear military fashion.

In the past three months, President El Sisi has been pretty outspoken – unbuttoned really – about issues that some might say are better left to Saudi Arabia’s traditional leadership.

Of the Muslim world. And of the Arab world.

And here’s President El Sisi calling for reform in Islam and for the establishment of a joint Arab military force, an Arab Nato of sorts, to handle crises, especially extremism.

Some analysts say that “his remarks could be interpreted as infringing on the responsibilities of the Saudi king”. But if there were overwhelming disapproval in Riyadh, it’s probably unlikely he would have had an audience at all would he?