NEW YORK: The sentencing of El-Ghad party leader Ayman Nour to five years imprisonment on charges that he forged signatures to register his party has received sharp criticism from Washington. In a statement released shortly after the verdict was announced Saturday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan called upon the Egyptian government to release the political figure. "The United States is deeply troubled by the conviction today of Egyptian politician Ayman Nour by an Egyptian court, the statement said. "The conviction of Mr. Nour, the runner-up in Egypt s 2005 presidential elections, calls into question Egypt s commitment to democracy, freedom,and the rule of law. Nour was the only candidate in this year's first ever multicandidate presidential election to present much of a challenge to veteran President Hosni Mubarak.While he only walked away with some 8 percent of the vote, in many ways he represented hope for a democratic future, something the Bush administration continues to push for throughout the region. Meanwhile, concerns have surfaced surrounding Nour's health. Last week, the 41-year old former parliamentarian was hospitalized more than a week into a hunger strike which he began following the adjournment of one of his court appearances. Nour is a diabetic and so the starvation took its toll quickly, leaving him weak and restless. "We are also disturbed by reports that Mr. Nour s health has seriously declined due to the hunger strike on which he has embarked in protest of the conditions of his trial and detention, McClellan continued, referring to Nour s hospitalization more than a week into a hunger strike. "The United States calls upon the Egyptian government to act under the laws of Egypt in the spirit of its professed desire for increased political openness and dialogue within Egyptian society, and out of humanitarian concern, to release Mr.Nour from detention, added Mc- Clellan. "[From] the perspective of Washington, Nour appears as a reform-minded Liberal politician pushing for democratic change in the Middle East, explains Samer Shehata, a professor at Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. "If one were mildly skeptical of US foreign policy, I would also quickly point out that Nour s trial and sentencing provides Washington with another card to play against Egypt and the Mubarak regime. This is politics after all. For the United States, Nour has in some ways represented regional reform. Nour's detainment has, over the past year, served as a barometer for USEgyptian relations. In January, US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice cancelled a scheduled visit following word of Nour's detainment, expressing early on that she held "very strong concerns surrounding his case. Following Nour's release from prison, Rice visited Egypt as part of her Middle East diplomatic tour.While in Cairo, she met with Nour and a number of opposition leaders to discuss Egypt's political climate. As moderate political figures, politicians such as Nour also provide America with easy political and economic access to the region. Concerns surfaced following last month's parliamentary elections, after the banned Muslim Brotherhood walked away with a record 88 seats. While the ruling party still holds a comfortable majority, analysts believe gains by the Islamic powerhouse give America some reason to worry. Still, history has shown that sentiments of concern by the United States will not necessarily jeopardize it relationship with Egypt. "Nothing ever deteriorates to the point of no repair in US-Egyptian relations, Shehata explains. "We saw what happened with the wrongful imprisonment of Saad Eddin Ibrahim - Washington talks a big talk but that s about it. We also saw recently the exceedingly mild American reaction to elections. I suspect that Nour s verdict will be overturned before things get much worse.
