While Tunisians and Egyptians riot, Morjane and Abol Gheit convene to 'consult'

Egyptian Foreign Minister is expected to visit Tunisia to take part in the twelfth session of the joint Egyptian-Tunisian Committee for Political Consultation. According to official sources, the committee will discuss 'bilateral cooperation' and regional and pan-Arab dossiers of mutual concern.

During their 29 and 23 years in office, US allies Mubarak and Ben Ali have faced little formal opposition

In the meantime, Tunisian activists continue to riot in Sidi Bouzid protesting corruption, dictatorship and regional and class disparities. Their Egyptian counterparts have persistently expressed solidarity even as Egypt marked the start of a new year with a shock of unprecedented magnitude and, as a result, phenomenal social, political and sectarian momentum.

In the meantime, the Tunisian regime has been busy repressing the uprising, using excessive force to 'quell' the 'unlawful' acts of so-called 'agents of foreign plots', and employing 'international' expertise to censor activists' internet access. Likewise, the Egyptian regime is, as usual, externalising the terrorist attack on the Alexandrian Al-Qidissain Church and singing along with a bourgeoisie-in-denial. "The attack on the Al-Qidissain Church is alien to Egyptian society" they claim. The attack "bears the hallmarks of a foreign plot" aimed at causing sectarian strife which, they persistently tell us, is 'foreign' to Egypt and a 'distortion' of religious teachings.

While Tunisians riot for the third week in a row, Egypt is witnessing daily clashes

between Copts, Muslims, pro-democracy activists and the police since New Year's Eve

It's therefore not a surprise that, while both regimes struggle to quell mounting opposition and externalise the roots of social discord and dismay, they find common ground and a reason to 'consult'.