The Syrian independent AlWatan newspaper on Tuesday launched a stern attack against Egypt, claiming that "what bothers the rulers of Egypt is the fact that there is no Egyptian role in the region and that Arab countries want to avoid any Egyptian interference in good times nor or bad times."
It added: "Egypt, which had an historic role in supporting the Arabs and their causes, is today thanks to its rulers just serving the interests of Israel and the United States of America."
And the newspaper continued its criticism, by saying that the hostility between Cairo and Damascus came because of "Syria's growing role and the increasing popularity enjoyed by President Bashar al-Assad in the Arab street from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf." Al Watan's attack came hours after comments by a senior Egyptian official who said that "Syrian President Bashar al-Assad knows exactly the reasons for the Egyptian-Syrian acrimony, which is the political choice of Syria."
