Front Page
Politics
Economy
International
Sports
Society
Culture
Videos
Newspapers
Ahram Online
Al-Ahram Weekly
Albawaba
Almasry Alyoum
Amwal Al Ghad
Arab News Agency
Bikya Masr
Daily News Egypt
FilGoal
The Egyptian Gazette
Youm7
Subject
Author
Region
f
t
مصرس
URGENT: US PPI declines by 0.2% in May
Egypt secures $130m in non-refundable USAID grants
HSBC named Egypt's Best Bank for Diversity, Inclusion by Euromoney
Singapore offers refiners carbon tax rebates for '24, '25
Egypt's CBE offers EGP 4b zero coupon t-bonds
G7 agrees on $50b Ukraine loan from frozen Russian assets
EU dairy faces China tariff threat
Over 12,000 Egyptian pilgrims receive medical care during Hajj: Health Ministry
Egypt's rise as global logistics hub takes centre stage at New Development Bank Seminar
Blinken addresses Hamas ceasefire counterproposal, future governance plans for Gaza
MSMEDA, EABA sign MoU to offer new marketing opportunities for Egyptian SMEs in Africa
Egypt's President Al-Sisi, Equatorial Guinea's Vice President discuss bilateral cooperation, regional Issues
Egypt's Higher Education Minister pledges deeper cooperation with BRICS at Kazan Summit
Gaza death toll rises to 37,164, injuries hit 84,832 amid ongoing Israeli attacks
Egypt's Water Research, Space Agencies join forces to tackle water challenges
BRICS Skate Cup: Skateboarders from Egypt, 22 nations gather in Russia
Pharaohs Edge Out Burkina Faso in World Cup qualifiers Thriller
Egypt's EDA, Zambia sign collaboration pact
Madinaty Sports Club hosts successful 4th Qadya MMA Championship
Amwal Al Ghad Awards 2024 announces Entrepreneurs of the Year
Egyptian President asks Madbouly to form new government, outlines priorities
Egypt's President assigns Madbouly to form new government
Egypt and Tanzania discuss water cooperation
Grand Egyptian Museum opening: Madbouly reviews final preparations
Madinaty's inaugural Skydiving event boosts sports tourism appeal
Tunisia's President Saied reshuffles cabinet amidst political tension
Instagram Celebrates African Women in 'Made by Africa, Loved by the World' 2024 Campaign
Egypt to build 58 hospitals by '25
Swiss freeze on Russian assets dwindles to $6.36b in '23
Egyptian public, private sectors off on Apr 25 marking Sinai Liberation
Debt swaps could unlock $100b for climate action
Financial literacy becomes extremely important – EGX official
Euro area annual inflation up to 2.9% – Eurostat
BYD، Brazil's Sigma Lithium JV likely
UNESCO celebrates World Arabic Language Day
Motaz Azaiza mural in Manchester tribute to Palestinian journalists
Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban
It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game
Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights
Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines
Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19
Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers
Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled
We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga
Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June
Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds
Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go
Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform
Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.
OK
Testing the waters
Nevine Khalil
Published in
Al-Ahram Weekly
on 05 - 04 - 2001
President Mubarak's visit to the US helped map out future regional and bilateral policy, reports Nevine Khalil from
Washington
While the possibility of concrete plans or agreements emerging during President Hosni Mubarak's trip to
Washington
were downplayed even before Mubarak left
Cairo
, the
Egyptian
delegation used the occasion to sound out the new US administration's position on a wide range of issues. "We are going to listen to what the new administration has in mind, and present our perspective," said Foreign Minister Amr Moussa before leaving
Cairo
.
The
Egyptian
delegation, which included the foreign, economy, finance and technology ministers, as well as Mubarak's chief political adviser, spent most of their time in an intensive schedule of meetings with their American counterparts, laying the groundwork for the next four years of bilateral relations.
As the first Arab leader to visit
Washington
since George W Bush was sworn in three months ago, arriving hot on the heels of the Arab summit in
Amman
, Mubarak focused during his five-day visit on presenting an Arab perspective of the situation in the Middle East. Bush met with
Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a fortnight earlier, and is expected to receive Jordan's King Abdullah on 12 April.
On Monday, Mubarak told Bush, whose administration has clearly indicated that it is seeking to partially disengage from peacemaking in the Middle East, that the US must "maximise its efforts" in the peace process to best serve American interests and ensure stability in the region.
During nearly two hours of talks Bush reassured Mubarak that the US would remain "very engaged" in the peace process, though he stopped short of pledging the intense personal effort undertaken by his predecessor Bill Clinton.
"We will use our prestige and influence as best we can to facilitate a peace," Bush told reporters in the Oval Office before going into talks. But at the same time he noted that the US would not "set a timetable that meets our specific needs," further distancing himself from Clinton's urgent efforts to close a deal between the
Israelis
and Palestinians.
"The only lasting peace is one in which the parties come to the table. We can't force a peace," he said. Mubarak, by his side, agreed: "We are not going to impose a solution on the parties, we are going to facilitate the situation so they can sit together [and] negotiate."
Behind closed doors, Mubarak gave the Americans "a very frank" assessment of the situation in the region, and proposed that a group, including
Egyptians
, should be charged with coming up with ideas on how to bring the Palestinians and
Israelis
together and end the current violence.
"We have to make a huge effort to persuade the two parties to come to the negotiating table and abandon this kind of violence," Mubarak said.
Cairo
is in constant contact with all players in the stagnant peace process which has all but collapsed as a result of
Israel
's excessive violence against the six-month Palestinian Intifada.
Egypt
's chief of intelligence was dispatched to
Israel
recently to speak with Sharon. "[Sharon] is still forming the ideas for a peace plan. He will show it to me when it is ready," noted Mubarak.
Other political issues on the
Egyptian
delegation's agenda included sanctions against
Libya
and
Iraq
as well as the situation in
Sudan
. While
Egypt
is lobbying for the lifting of all sanctions against
Iraq
, the US has yet to reach "a final definition of the smart sanctions they want to impose," Moussa told reporters following his meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell on Friday. At the same time Mubarak warned that bombing
Iraq
serves only to strengthen Saddam Hussein's hold on power.
"The more you bomb him, the stronger he gets," Mubarak said in an interview. He also advised that
Washington
should stop attempting to overthrow Saddam by backing the opposition in exile. "Forget it. They cannot deliver," he said.
On the bilateral front
Egyptian
officials and their counterparts brainstormed on ways of cementing economic ties following the end of the Mubarak-Gore initiative.
"We are trying to find a new vehicle to promote economic ties," said Economy Minister Youssef Ghali. US officials, including Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Secretary of Commerce Don Evans, argued that
Egypt
needs to make further reforms regarding taxes, tariffs, intellectual property rights, services and telecommunications.
"We want to work closely with the president and his cabinet to improve the overall climate for trade and investment," said Evans. Zoellick agreed, insisting that "the key for a country like
Egypt
is to make the environment more hospitable for business."
Both sides already see eye to eye on the importance of free markets and the private sector's pivotal role in determining economic policy, and agreed to begin discussions on establishing a framework for free trade and investment. The bilateral council, established under the 1999 US-
Egypt
Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) will, as was expected, be revived. TIFAs are important starting points for countries seeking a Free Trade Agreement with the US.
Recommend this page
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
Send a letter to the Editor
Clic
here
to read the story from its source.
Related stories
Testing the waters
Reaching out to old friends
Garnering world support
Seeking security for all
Winds of change
Report inappropriate advertisement