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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 June 1999 Issue No. 435 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 June 1999 Issue No. 435
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Interview Travel Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Making it work
By Dina Ezzat and Nevine KhalilCloser Egypt-US relations, particularly in economic terms, and more equitable criteria for the management of the Middle East peace process are the prime objectives of a US tour which President Hosni Mubarak will begin on Saturday. Foreign Minister Amr Moussa is already in the US, preparing the groundwork for Mubarak's visit, and is expected to meet this afternoon with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in Washington.
The timing of Mubarak's visit was described as "good". It has been two years since the president was in Washington, a delay attributed to domestic US concerns and the stagnation in regional peace-making, which would have made earlier visits "unworkable", Egyptian officials said. Mubarak and Clinton are scheduled to meet next Thursday in Washington.
Mubarak's agenda during the six-day visit is packed. But his two priorities will be reviving the peace process, now that Ehud Barak is in charge in Israel, and forging closer economic relations. Egypt seeks to increase its exports to the US and negotiate a free trade agreement -- both difficult objectives to achieve.
Egypt and the US are waiting for Barak to put together a coalition government, the make-up of which will serve as an indicator of his future policies. The next move will be visits by Barak to Cairo for talks with Mubarak, and to Washington for talks with US President Clinton.
The Arab leaders involved in the peace process are also likely to hold a summit to coordinate policies once Barak forms his government. The concerned parties agree that peace-making should be revived simultaneously on the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese tracks afterwards. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was expected in Cairo today for coordination talks with Mubarak ahead of the US visit.
During next Thursday's Mubarak-Clinton meeting, the two presidents are expected to affirm the necessity of halting all unilateral acts, particularly the construction of Jewish settlements in occupied Arab territories, that impede peace-making.
Last week, Clinton overrode a 1995 congressional bill on moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in order not to jeopardise future negotiations on the final status of the holy city. Clinton's action drew praise from Moussa.
In addition to reviving the peace process, Washington is also interested in re-launching multilateral consultations on regional issues, such as water, refugees and the environment. Regional economic cooperation is also a priority for the US, which is expected to urge Egypt to host the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) economic conference called off last year as a result of Binyamin Netanyahu's intransigent policies.
Earlier this month, Vice-President Al Gore and Martin Indyk, under-secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, warned that the Arabs should not "exaggerate" their expectations of what Barak can do. US officials suggested that the Israelis would be put off if the Palestinians called for a settlement on the basis of the 1947 UN General Assembly resolution on the partition of Palestine.
"We know what we are going to hear," said an Egyptian official. "We will be told that we are their allies and have to help them put the peace process back on track. We will be told that we have to encourage the Palestinians, and other Arab parties, to show understanding of Barak's position, as he tries to revive the peace process. We will also be told that regional cooperation is an integral part of peace-making and that an Arab summit at this point could be alarming for the Israeli government."
The official added: "And we know what we are going to say: Egypt has opened the door for peace in the Middle East. Egypt is committed to working with Barak if he is serious about reaching a fair and comprehensive settlement. Reviving the peace process with concrete actions, rather than gestures, is a prerequisite for regional economic cooperation. And Arab meetings are not directed against Israel."
Speaking on CNN on Tuesday, Moussa answered questions on Israel's criticism of the bilateral "cold peace" and the anti-Israeli sentiments in the Egyptian press. "It takes two to tango," Moussa responded. He attributed the "cold" nature of the Egypt-Israel peace and the press criticism to the anti-peace position of Netanyahu's government.
Bilateral relations are also high on Mubarak's agenda. The president, who will be accompanied by a large delegation of ministers and businessmen, will raise the issue of increasing Egyptian exports in order redress the serious imbalance in trade relations.
Also next Thursday, Mubarak and Gore will co-chair a meeting of the US-Egyptian Presidents' Council, an advisory body of Egyptian and American businessmen, to evaluate progress made in bilateral economic relations.
Moussa, addressing US entrepreneurs, described Egypt as "a role model, dynamic" and "open to the flow of goods, ideas and capitals". A lucrative market in its own right, Egypt is also, by virtue of finalised and semi-finalised agreements, a gateway to the African, Arab and European markets, Moussa said.
The reduction of US aid to Egypt is not a reason for concern. "We are not feeling bitter about that," an Egyptian diplomat said. "Rather the opposite. We prefer to focus on establishing a higher volume of trade with the US and gaining greater investments."
