Last week's visit to Egypt by a US Congressional delegation offered the opportunity to test perceptions against reality, writes Gamal Essam El-Din The one-week visit to Egypt by a US Congressional delegation caused mixed reactions in political circles. Mustafa El-Feki, chairman of the People's Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee, hailed the visit as a unique occurrence. "It was the first time US Congress members met with so many different people, including officials, media representatives and parliamentarians. They even had an opportunity to inspect Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip," said El-Feki. In the past, El-Feki notes, US congressional visits tended to involve only meetings with President Hosni Mubarak or, occasionally, with Fathi Sorour, the speaker of the People's Assembly. El-Feki believes the delegation's time in Egypt was generally positive. "I think they were eager to listen to a range of views, and this is especially important at a time when the US press is painting a very negative picture of Egypt. The visit helped, to some extent, in changing some preconceived ideas about Egypt and I hope they will convey this to their colleagues in Washington." In a telephone interview with Al-Ahram Weekly, Sorour said he was happy about what he called "the first direct contact with US Congresspeople". "Although the delegation included just two House members [Betty McCollum, (D-MN), and Lincoln Davis (D-TN)], it presented a good chance for these people to get their information about Egyptian politics from reliable sources. "I told them that most of what is published about political developments in Egypt in the American press is coloured by personal interests and prejudices. And I advised them that in a strategic relationship such as that between Egypt and America it is unwise to base opinions solely on what is published in the press and other media outlets." Sorour said he had told the visiting delegation that the Anglo- American invasion of Iraq in 2003 lay behind the proliferation of negative opinions about America in the Arab world. "The invasion was tragic for Iraqis, made Iran more defiant, caused internal tensions in Lebanon and Palestine and gave Al-Qaeda fertile ground to propagate its extremist ideology," Sorour said. Sorour and El-Feki both emphasised that they were clear in their talks with the delegation that annual US aid to Egypt should not become a political tool, wielded to force Egypt into adopting positions in line American foreign policy. "I think that some in Washington do not like Egypt's position on Darfur or on Hamas in Palestine, and might be tempted into thinking US aid can be a tool to change Egypt's policies," said El-Feki. American aid to Egypt, Sorour pointed out, was initiated in an attempt to strike a balance between Egypt and Israel after the 1978 Camp David Accords. "Now, when [the] US Congress conditions $200 million of that aid on what they call respect of human rights and the judiciary and on Egypt breaking up weapons-smuggling networks across the Egyptian-Gaza border, this clearly disrupts the balance." On 3 July, the delegation opted to visit the border itself, travelling by United Nations plane to Arish airport. The two House members were quoted by a local reporter as saying their visit to the border had been far more informative than reading about it in newspapers. McCollum told Al-Ahram journalists last week that "the delegation's visit to Rafah and Gaza left a very positive impact because it refuted charges that Egypt is not tough about smuggling weapons across the borders." Addressing writers and researchers at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS), McCollum, said "the delegation's visit to Egypt is in general aimed at listening to all points of view about major issues currently gripping the Middle East." Gamal Abdel-Gawwad, head of ACPSS's Foreign Unit, told the Weekly that the meeting had focussed on recent troubles in Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia and Sudan. "They took away ideas about how the Middle East has become divided into two camps, the moderates and radicals," said Abdel-Gawwad, who added that ACPSS journalists had emphasised that using US aid to exert pressure on Egypt could only harm Egyptian-American relations. It was a message repeated during the delegation's meeting with the Egyptian Economic Forum. "Trade, not aid, should be the basis of future Egyptian-American economic relations," said one economist. The delegation concluded its visit by meeting Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit and Ahmed Kamal Abul-Magd, the deputy chairman of the National Council for Human Rights. Abul-Gheit underlined Cairo's opposition to Washington making aid to Egypt conditional. "Every side has the right to make the decisions it thinks necessary," said Abul-Gheit. Francis Ricciardone, the US ambassador to Cairo, said US President George Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are both opposed to withholding any portion of US aid. Ricciardone told the Weekly he believes the delegation had left with very positive impressions. "I think these visits are very important and I hope the parliamentary exchange programme will create mutual and direct channels of understanding and erase the majority of negative perceptions."
