It's full steam ahead to boost Egyptian-US relations, reports Doaa-El-Bey Following his meeting with US President Barack Obama last Thursday, on Monday President Hosni Mubarak met with US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns. "We look forward to working together on a wide range of issues in this region, in particular the issue of making progress towards peace between Palestinians and Israelis, and more widely between Arabs and Israelis, the opportunity to work together for a stable Iraq, the opportunity to work together in support of stability in Sudan and in many other parts of the world," Burns said after the meeting at which Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit and the US Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey were both present. A new session of strategic dialogue between Egypt and the US aims to identify areas of mutual concern, assess emerging threats and discuss regional challenges. The current round is being led by Assistant Foreign Minister for Cabinet Affairs Wafaa Bassem and Burns. Following the session Burns said a wide range of subjects -- global, regional and bilateral -- had been discussed. The US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue is a coordinating mechanism designed to enhance dialogue across a range of issues and identify new areas for cooperation. It operates via five committees, covering issues that range from economic and trade cooperation to good governance. Burns met with eight representatives of civil society organisations on Saturday on the sidelines of his official visit. Bahieddin Hassan, director of Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), told Al-Ahram Weekly that the meeting had allowed civil society representatives to give their opinion on Obama's speech and offer suggestions about the direction of strategic dialogue, in particular the role of human rights. Hafez Abu Seada, secretary-general of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, who also attended the meeting, said it aimed to involve representatives of civil society in helping shape the strategic dialogue agenda. "It offered a chance to exchange points of view on Obama's speech, and on US policies in the region," he said. Mona Zulfiqar, a member of the National Council for Human Rights, Hisham Qassem, director of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, former MP Mohamed Esmat El-Sadat and human rights activist Dalia Ziada were also at the meeting. Burns's itinerary also included talks with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and with Abul-Gheit. "I think it is significant that the president is making clear his determination [to tackle the Palestinian issue] at the very beginning of his presidency, not seven or eight years later but at the very beginning," Burns said after his meeting with Moussa. Obama's decision to address the Islamic world from Cairo clearly signals a thaw in bilateral relations which had suffered a downturn during the Bush administration. Such is the willingness to make a fresh start in Washington that substantial difference between the two capitals, over US aid to Egypt and Egypt's human rights record in particular, were firmly off the agenda. They cannot, however, be glossed over forever, and few observers will be surprised to see them resurface soon.
