It will take more than diplomatic handshakes to convince Cairo that the roadmap will lead to peace any time soon.Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelaty report On his first tour of the region in over a year, US Secretary of State Colin Powell had a lot on his plate. It was not just the Iraqi conundrum which topped his agenda; one of the main priorities was to ensure the roadmap actually leads somewhere. Stopping in Cairo on Monday, Powell met with President Hosni Mubarak, Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and Chief of Intelligence Omar Suleiman, but skipped meetings with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and European Union envoy Javier Solana. Powell briefed the Egyptian side about his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) in Jericho the day before, as well as his meetings in Syria early last week (see interview, p.5). The Egyptians were "encouraged" by US commitment to the roadmap -- which Powell said is the same as the one drafted last December -- although they remained sceptical about the viability of the plan if Israel is not more forthcoming. "I'm not optimistic, but I hope I'm wrong," said Maher after the talks. But Powell believes that "we need to seize this moment of opportunity." The US plan for the region is packed with change and challenges; there's the rebuilding of Iraq, installing a new regime in Baghdad, clinching a peace accord between the Palestinians and Israelis, improving security and stability in the region, as well as a proposed Free Trade Zone (FTZ) between the US and the Middle East. The immediate task at hand -- making progress on the roadmap -- is certain to be an uphill struggle. Powell believes that immediate implementation is essential, although care should be taken on what issues to tackle first. "It is important that we [do] not deal with the most difficult issues such as right of return and the status of Jerusalem, but start moving now on those earlier steps," he told a joint press conference with Maher on Monday. Powell believes that without making progress on issues of security and improving the lives of the Palestinians, "we will never reach the point where we can deal with these more difficult issues." So far, Washington is pleased with what it has seen -- the selection of a Palestinian prime minister, the formation of a new cabinet, the drafting of a Palestinian constitution, "some steps" by Sharon's government, and the expected meeting between Abu Mazen and Sharon tomorrow. Powell also expressed gratitude for Cairo's role in achieving some of the above, namely the political reform in the Palestinian leadership. Egypt played a critical role in bridging the gap between Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Abu Mazen by sending in Intelligence Chief Suleiman to mediate an agreement. Before leaving Cairo Powell met with Suleiman, whose apparatus also hosts the dialogue between Palestinian factions. "The Egyptians, I'm sure, will play a helpful role with respect to security issues," noted Powell. Powell said that the US is showing its support for Abu Mazen by delivering an extra $50 million to the Palestinians, assisting them in rebuilding and developing their security infrastructure. Powell said that the US was also ready to send monitors to oversee implementation by the two sides. "We stand ready to help them with any other request that they might have," pledged Powell. But the US seems unable to effect any real change in the Israeli position which blocks progress with the Palestinians. Powell admitted that the Israeli side did not use the word "accept" when discussing the roadmap with him a day earlier. They still have "comments" which the Americans will listen to -- certainly during Sharon's visit to Washington on 20 May -- although Powell would prefer the Israelis to begin talking directly to the Palestinians about their ideas. According to Powell, "it makes no difference whether you have the word 'accept' or not; what makes the difference is whether both sides find enough in common with the roadmap [to] begin moving down this road," he said. But for Maher, a clear declaration is of the essence. "I don't think the word 'accept' is a very difficult word to pronounce," was Maher's rebuttal. "It is important for both sides to indicate, at least their intention to implement what is in the roadmap. The word 'accept' is not a dirty word. I think it will be a very useful word." According to Egypt's top diplomat, "we see the glass as half empty and the US sees it as half full; but we both feel that is not enough." Cairo wants Israel to dismantle settlements, ease travel and trade restrictions on Palestinians, stop demolition of Palestinian homes and stop the assassination of Palestinians, as well as permit more Palestinians to work in Israel. Egyptian officials also held talks with others who share the same views. The Europeans agree that Israel must announce its acceptance of the roadmap, begin implementation soon, not introduce any amendments and that Arafat remains the leader of the Palestinian people. EU Foreign and Security Policy Chief Javier Solana arrived on Sunday for talks with Mubarak and Maher on the first leg of a regional tour. Solana told reporters that the message he would be carrying to Israel is clear. "The roadmap has to be implemented in good faith and rapidly," he said. He also highlighted the importance of formal acceptance of the map by both sides. Another sore point between Cairo and Washington is the status of Arafat. On the wishes of the Israelis, the US has marginalised Arafat, focussing their contacts instead on Abu Mazen. Powell refused to meet with Arafat during his tour, and called on the Europeans to stop dealing with him. Solana dismissed any such suggestion, saying he would meet with Arafat when he goes to the West Bank. "We do whatever we think we should do," insisted the European official. But Maher, too, insists that "Arafat is the elected leader of the Palestinian people; we continue to recognise him as the leader of the Palestinian people." During talks with Powell, the issue of Iraq was "touched upon" but was not at the core of discussions. Asked by Al-Ahram Weekly during the press conference, about his position on the fact that Washington would not tolerate an Islamist government in Baghdad, Powell said that "it would be unfortunate if a government arose that is so fundamentalist in nature that it did not respect basic principles of democracy or the right of all the people of Iraq." While saying that "ultimately" it will be the Iraqi people who choose their government, Powell added that "we can help them make a judgement." Cairo has always maintained that the Iraqis must be given the liberty to choose their own government, and as soon as possible. "We are in agreement [with the Americans] on the goal, but they feel it will take longer than we do," Maher noted. An issue that was even less of a talking point on Powell's agenda was the idea of encouraging democratic reforms in the Middle East by proposing economic incentives. Last Friday, Bush announced that the US will work towards a US-Middle East Free Trade Zone (FTZ) by 2013, modernising the region's judicial and education and political systems. In a similar vein, Powell announced last December the US-Middle East Partnership Initiative, pledging $29 million to promote economic and political reforms. Maher said that talks with Powell did not "discuss in depth" Bush's FTZ plan, and Powell conceded that "we will be pursuing that in greater detail with our Egyptian friends." But Egyptian officials are cautious with respect to the motives behind the proposals and are sensitive to what appears to be interference in their domestic affairs. Cairo was quick to point out that Egypt has already embarked on economic and political reform programmes, and therefore changes in that regard should be minimal. While not dismissing the initiatives altogether -- they contain compelling economic incentives -- officials are waiting to hear more details. "Egypt welcomes any genuine effort that supports its efforts in a partnership based on equality and non-interference in domestic affairs," Maher remarked on Saturday, adding that Cairo would study the proposal before making a final judgement.
