CAIRO: United States President Barack Obama is facing pressure from Congress and right-wing groups to put pressure on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to open the political system up in Egypt ahead of the presidential election in 2011. The pressure came during Mubarak's visit to Washington last week to participate in the direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Obama met Mubarak at the White House last Wednesday evening to start the first round of direct peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis, which had been halted for nearly two years. According to US officials, Egypt plays a key role in the peace process and is likely to serve as host for the next rounds of negotiations. “What we hope is that Obama and others involved in diplomatic efforts by the United States is that there will be pressure put on Mubarak and the Egyptian government to allow for more political openness and better opportunities for the opposition,” said John Thomas, an American professor who has studied Egyptian politics for the past three decades. He told Bikya Masr that “Egypt is key to the future of political openness in the region and once it falls to democracy, it will be like a chain effect that could see a new dawn for the region. The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the White House declined to comment on whether Obama would respond to the demands of Congress and open the issue of elections with Mubarak during their meeting. According to the newspaper, analysts in Washington believe that the United States did not provide adequate support to ensure free and fair elections in Egypt. The Journal added that if the elections led to instability in Egypt, an ally of the United States, which represents the basic foundation for Washington's policies towards the Middle East, “this may cause harm for the US interests in the region.” The newspaper also expected that the Obama administration will be subjected to criticism in the Middle East, as it “may be seen by some as a help to the dominance of the Mubarak family and ensuring power to be in their hands.” The State Department has expressed concerns about transparency in parliamentary elections scheduled for this November. A number of members of Congress have called on Obama to make more of an effort at political reform in Egypt. The Senate is debating a nonbinding resolution that would seek to make the dialogue on democracy and human rights formally part of the bilateral relations between Egypt and the United States. It also put pressure on Washington to force Cairo to end the emergency law. American organizations such as the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute has sent a letter to Mubarak to urge him to allow them to monitor the election during the presidential election of 2011. BM
