The Egyptian and Turkish presidents are scheduled to visit the Saudi capital this week in what appears to be an attempt to establish a new Sunni front in the ever-shifting political scene of the Middle East. The newly selected king of Saudi Arabia, King Salman Abdul-Aziz, will play host to the two presidents in an effort to restore ties and stabilize regional Sunni factions. With growing political influence backed by its economic might, Saudi Arabia has become a major player among Arab nations. Egypt, once in a leading position in the Arab world, has been challenged after waves of domestic turmoil. Saudi Arabia entered a different period when King Salman took power. Shortly after becoming the 6th Saudi monarch, King Salman began reshuffling decision makers in Riyadh and was widely expected to change foreign policy routes. Riyadh has been a vocal opponent of the Syrian government of Bashir al-Assad and has helped fund Sunni rebels against the country’s Shiite minority rulers. The fall of Assad dynasty would inevitably weaken the increasing power of Shiite Iran, which has historically challenged Saudi influence in the Gulf region. This week, Turkish President Receb Teyyip Erdogan and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdifatah Al-Sisi, will separately meet with the Saudi King in Riyadh. The reconciliation of the two presidents seems to be a challenging task for the Saudi King as Erdogan publically slammed the Egyptian president for overthrowing the Muslim Brotherhood leader Muhammad Morsi last year, as Egypt’s elected president. Relations between Ankara and Cairo have sunk even lower since then. But new challenges in the Middle East may overcome the differences between the two Sunni leaders. King Salman has been taking a tougher position against Iran and Syria. The fall of the Assad regime and the disintegration of the Islamic State (ISIS) is something Erdogan and the new King seem to be hoping for. The rise of ISIS and its barbaric campaign in Syria helped Assad cling to power longer than expected. But with the new King in place, Turkey and Qatar who have been aiding the Syrian rebels will now find a powerful partner in Riyadh. The challenge for the King is to unite the Sunni leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in the same vanguard. Iran has been showing its political weight in major Arab capitals including Damascus, Beirut, Baghdad and Bahrain. One decisive way for the Saudi King to restore the balance of power with Iran seems to be the inescapable removal of Assad. The Arab world would need the support of Israel, an archenemy of the Syrian regime, to push America behind the efforts to move Assad from power. Turkey could influence Israel but only after restoring ties as the two countries diplomatic relations have been at historic low since the Gaza flotilla raid in 2010. Erdogan hopes to mend fences after Israeli elections later this month. If King Salman can unite Erdogan and Sisi, and if relations between Turkey and Israel are normalized, a Sunni front that has economic means and political influence will be inevitable. If such camp emerges, America will have good reasons to support it. For the time being, the arrival of the Turkish and Egyptian presidents in Riyadh later this week, regardless of the result, is hardly good news for the embattled Syrian president and Iran. Follow @lihony
