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| Africa North | |
| EgyptÂ’s intel chief flies to Washington for talks | |
| 2007-07-16 | |
| CAIRO, Egypt - EgyptÂ’s powerful chief of intelligence, who acts as a key diplomatic link with the United States and Israel, flew to Washington on Sunday for talks with administration officials on bilateral ties and Mideast issues, officials said. The visit by Omar Suleiman came amid friction between Egypt and the US because of increasing criticism by the Bush administration and Congress over President Hosni MubarakÂ’s lack of democratic reforms. Suleiman did not speak to reporters on departure, but Egyptian officials said he would meet with top officials at the White House, the State Department and the CIA. Bolstering bilateral relations will be top on his agenda,Â’ said one official. Relations between the two allies took a dip after the US House of Representatives tabled legislation last month to withhold US$200 million in military aid until Cairo takes steps to curb police abuses, reform its judicial system and stop arms smuggling into the neighboring Gaza Strip. Under the draft, the aid would be withheld from the total of US$1.3 billion that Egypt is due to receive in military aid from the US in 2008. The legislation has yet to be approved by Congress or signed by President George W. Bush. Egypt also receives vast US civilian subsidies, and is the second largest recipient of American aid in the world after Israel. The Egyptian government blasted the proposed US legislation as an unacceptableÂ’ interference in EgyptÂ’s internal affairs.
Bush angered MubarakÂ’s government and parts of the Egyptian media when he met last month with leading human rights activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim and criticized the jailing of opposition leader Ayman Nour. Ibrahim has been advocating cuts in US military aid as an instrument to press Egypt for democratic reforms. Nour is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly forging signatures on petitions to register his political party. He challenged Mubarak for the presidency in 2005, finishing a distant second in EgyptÂ’s first contested presidential elections. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #5 The money is Egypt's payoff for the peace treaty Sadat signed with Israel, hmmmm. Although, given all the weapons smuggling and anti-Israel/antisemitic propaganda Egypt has sponsored since, that money isn't buying much in the way of peace. On the other hand -- and I'm sure someone will correct me if my recall is faulty -- it seems to me the money going to Egypt has been significantly reduced on President Bush's watch. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-07-16 18:46 |
| #4 If "democratic reforms" work in Egypt like they did in Gaza, Bush may wish he hadn't pestered Mubarak about it. After, whats' he gonna do if the Muslim Brotherhood gets elected? |
| Posted by: One Eyed Whaiting6121 2007-07-16 14:57 |
| #3 this is EXACTLY what's wrong with our foreign policy. Do not give Egypt one dime...EVER AGAIN!!! Will someone please wisen me up to why we would feel the need to give Egypt a billion dollars? For any reason? What about Hurricane Katrina relief? You mean we have money for Egyptians but not for ourselves? I mean, is there an economic factor I'm unaware of? I'm not sure globalism is a good thing. |
| Posted by: hmmm 2007-07-16 14:27 |
| #2 One has to wonder if a "no more danegeld, anywhere, for any reason" pledge might be the silver bullet for the successful 2008 Presidential candidate... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2007-07-16 10:08 |
| #1 Egypt also receives vast US civilian subsidies, and is the second largest recipient of American aid in the world after Israel. The Egyptian government blasted the proposed US legislation as an unacceptableÂ’ interference in EgyptÂ’s internal affairs. Just goes to show... we don't buy our friends! They bugger us just like the bad guys. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-07-16 02:52 |