'No surprise'

Gamal Mubarak's visit to the United States signifies a thaw in relations but receives mixed reactions at home, reports Sophia Ezzat

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Gamal Mubarak

The visit of Gamal Mubarak, chairman of the ruling National Democratic Party's (NDP) Policies Committee, to the United States has revived talk about a new phase in Egyptian-American relations after years of strained ties. The announcement of the visit of Gamal Mubarak to Washington DC this week also raised the oft repeated questions on the issue of succession of power in Egypt.

NDP Secretary-General Safwat El-Sherif said that Mubarak had received an invitation from JB Morgan to attend a seminar on the global financial meltdown. According to the state-run news agency MENA the party then decided to benefit from Mubarak's visit, expanding his agenda to include meetings with US congressmen, both Republicans and Democrats. He will also attend seminars at a number of influential US think tanks, including the Council of Foreign Relations and the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS).

Mohamed Kamal, a leading NDP member, described the visit as "private not secret".

He told the London-based daily Asharq Al-Awsat that as a high ranking figure in the NDP "there is no surprise" that Mubarak has been invited to visit the US.

The daily independent Al-Masry Al-Yom quoted Mubarak as saying his participation in think tank seminars was to explore their views on the Middle East and Egypt- America relations.

Presidential spokesman Suleiman Awwad said on Monday that unofficial reports about an expected visit by President Hosni Mubarak to Washington next month are premature. "The president will visit the US in the right time," adding that Mubarak has a standing invitation to visit the US capital.

Andrew Schwartz, vice-president of external relations at CSIS, confirmed in a brief e-mail message that a "few of my colleagues at CSIS are hosting Gamal Mubarak for a private meeting" without giving additional details.

This is Gamal Mubarak's first visit to the US since 2006 and it is being widely seen in the context of an exchange of goodwill gestures signifying a desire on the part of both parties to improve relations.

"Today Gamal Mubarak is in Washington to instate a new phase of relations after five anxious years," Amr Khafaga, publisher of Al-Shorouk Al-Gadid, wrote on Monday in his weekly column. Khafaga predicted that the new administration will keep up demands for greater political openness and link it to US aid though in "a polite way".

The renewed talks about a new phase in the US-Egypt relationship follow the release of Ghad Party leader Ayman Nour.

Other opposition papers speculated that Gamal Mubarak's visit is an attempt to fix the image of the future president of Egypt.

Ibrahim Eissa, editor of Al-Dostour, sees the president's son's trip as underlining the way the ruling party "monopolises relations and refuses to allow others to hold dialogue or talks with the Americans". Eissa was referring to criticism levelled by the Egyptian authorities at plans by leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood, such as Essam El-Erian, and Kifaya leader George Ishaq, to visit the US.

The Council of Foreign Relations, one of Gamal Mubarak's stops, held a symposium on the Greater Middle East late January at which Steven Cook, a specialist on Egyptian--US relations, talked about the issue of succession.

Cook suggested that Egypt and the United States will have "a moment of real turbulence" at some point during Barack Obama's administration.