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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 July 1999 Issue No. 436 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 July 1999 Issue No. 436
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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 Special Interview Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Talking strategy
Nevine KhalilThrough the US-Egyptian strategic dialogue, which was launched in July 1998, Cairo and Washington sought to make sure that their viewpoints were projected clearly and quickly whenever any bilateral, regional or international issue came up for discussion. The dialogue also provided a vital channel for the two countries to consult and coordinate on strategic issues. "The strategic dialogue is based on common interests," Foreign Minister Amr Moussa told Al-Ahram Weekly in an interview. "We frankly discuss issues such as the peace process, regional concerns and bilateral relations."
The next round in the dialogue, expected at the end of July, will be held at the level of "senior, not top, officials," Moussa said.
The foreign minister affirmed, however, that keeping an open channel between Cairo and Washington was "only a tactical matter," while the strategic goal was much wider. "The strategic target cannot be achieved in a few hours of talks," he noted. "Rather, continuous talks and efforts are needed."
Since last year many issues, including regional peacemaking, Iraq, Sudan and Libya, were discussed within the dialogue's framework. On the peace process, Moussa said that there was "much shared agreement and understanding on both sides." He gave partial credit to the dialogue for the US's firm positions and policies on the outgoing government of Binyamin Netanyahu.
On other issues, such as banishing weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East and promoting bilateral economic relations, the dialogue was not as successful. "Efforts continue to bring viewpoints closer, especially on the issue of disarmament which is central to achieving security in the Middle East," Moussa said. "It is permanently on the table during Egyptian-US discussions."
As for bilateral economic relations, Moussa believes that they should be kept separate from, yet parallel to, the dialogue. "While economic relations flow into the dialogue and the dialogue serves bilateral economic ties, the latter are progressing on a separate track via trade, the private sector and government bodies," he said. Joint US-Egyptian trade and investments "support" the dialogue, he added, since the process covers economic progress in Egypt and the quality of US-Egyptian trade and economic relations.
The dialogue has succeeded in bringing viewpoints closer on the necessity of concluding a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two allies, although the agreement itself will not be concluded any time soon. "Finalising a FTA is not a priority right now," Moussa said. "We will focus on it later."
Although the US Congress has yet to give the administration a mandate to negotiate a FTA with Egypt and other countries, Cairo and Washington this week signed "a framework agreement for negotiations" to allow FTA talks to open.
Moussa believes that it is premature to judge how successful the dialogue is because "you can't judge the dialogue according to a few hours of meetings. It takes longer than that." He noted that what counts is for the channel to "remain open and lead to an understanding."
Ahead of Mubarak's arrival in Washington, Moussa held several meetings with US officials to prepare for the president's visit. Greater understanding is needed between Cairo and Washington as increasingly "thorny" issues are raised between the strategic allies. These controversial issues include claims about the religious persecution of Copts and a new law regulating the activities of NGOs. What complaints there are in Washington are being voiced by the Congress, not the administration. "None of these issues was raised during my meetings with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright or National Security Adviser Sandy Berger," Moussa said. "They were only raised during my meetings with congressmen as a result of provocative and exaggerated campaigning by some organisations."
During his discussions with congressmen, Moussa conceded that there were "incidents here and there [of religious discrimination] which should not have taken place." But he also emphasised that these were "individual occurrences which could happen in any country and society." In the same breath, he described "provocations" in the Congress as "unacceptable and, if anything, counter-productive."
During his discussions with congressmen, Moussa argued that this was "the age of information and disinformation." According to him, "the feedback was positive although we should have started addressing these issues earlier with Congress people."
Moussa said that most of the Congressmen had based their information about Egypt's domestic situation on "exaggerated hearsay" and "incorrect second-hand information." He cited the example of the NGO law "which none of the congressmen had actually read."
The foreign minister's aides provided US legislators with copies of the NGO law in Arabic and English as well as answers to frequently asked questions. Moussa noted that many of the press articles on the legislation were "mis-explained and presented wrongly."
During one meeting, the issue of regulating foreign funding to the local NGOs was raised. Moussa retorted: "All we ask for is transparency. Why is it that transparency has now become a bad word?"
Coordinating on regional concerns is naturally as difficult as discussing bilateral issues, although there is agreement at present on peace process policies, as both countries wait for Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak to form his government.
Both Cairo and Washington believe that there is a need to "activate the peace process and they are prepared to encourage all parties, including Israel, to make progress on this issue." Moussa stressed the urgency of "making up for lost time by beginning confidence-building steps." These include the implementation of the Wye agreement signed last November, a new "positive" policy against the construction of Jewish settlements and giving simultaneous priority to all tracks of negotiations -- the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese.
"Finally, it should be clear that the Palestinian issue is at the core of the conflict and that resolving the Palestinian problem and withdrawal from Syria and Lebanon are the only way to make peace," he said. "The Americans agree on this, too."
But observers are worried that Washington will soon be too busy with presidential elections to pay much attention to the peace process. However, Moussa is optimistic that by the time US electioneering is in full swing within months, "the peace process will have recovered and will be standing on solid ground, not needing daily interference and mediation." It is also believed that President Bill Clinton will be cautious about foreign policy decisions, especially on the peace process, in order not to jeopardise the election chances of Vice President Al Gore.
Moussa believes that Clinton "will not be too distracted during the elections" and trusts that the US will continue to play the role of "honest broker." At the same time, the foreign minister warned that if peace negotiations became subject to "standard electioneering and material calculations, this would be a negative step threatening negotiations."
On the whole, Moussa trusts that the US administration can play "a more active role" when Barak takes office officially.
