Rival Egyptian and Turkish rulers pay separate visits to Riyadh

Abdel-Fatteh El-Sisi and Tayyip Erdogan, presidents of Egypt and Turkey, landed separately in Riyadh Sunday for talks with the new Saudi King Salman. Their arrival prompted rumors around Gulf capitals about Salman’s intention to bring the two rival rulers together to fom a possible Saudi-led Sunni bloc with Egypt and Turkey.  Sources in Cairo and Ankara denied these rumors. El Sisi is at daggers drawn with Erdogan over the latter’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood which is fighting to topple the Sisi regime. According to DEBKAfile’s sources, the Egyptian president will lobby the Saudi monarch for a new pan-Arab army to battle ISIS and Al Qaeda’s Arabian affiliate AQAP. Salman has good relations with the Turkish president,  unlike his predecessor King Abdullah.