CAIRO: US Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey said in a speech Thursday that applying pressure on Egypt was not the appropriate method for dialogue, local press reported. In a speech given at Egypt s Future University, Scobey reportedly said that it was not US policy to pressure Egypt and emphasized that it was imperative to discuss issues on which both countries might have differing viewpoints. Scobey said, Bilateral relations are based on mutual respect, and the language of pressure is not the proper language of dialogue between Cairo and Washington. We do not always agree, but one of our responsibilities as friends is to talk about matters upon which we may not agree. The US ambassador also reportedly said that Egypt did not bow to pressure from abroad. I do not think Egypt may take a decision closely connected to its people s interest based on other countries viewpoints, she stated. This is a far cry from her senate confirmation hearing last year, when Scobey had vowed to push for the advancement of civil and political liberties in Egypt. Scobey also said at the hearing that there was no conflict between lobbying Egypt for reforms while seeking its support in the wider issues of the region. She added that she would "give the greatest attention to getting our message out to the widest possible Egyptian audience. Nabil Abdel-Fatah from Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies said that during Scobey s tenure in Egypt she has realized that Egypt doesn't respond well to that sort of harsh dialogue that could come from western nations. This type of discourse embarrasses the government in front of its people and levels much criticism against it from the opposition. Her time in Egypt has shown her this will not lead to the results she wants, he added. Scobey had come under a barrage of criticism from certain segments of the Egyptian press after her comments to the senate. She has discovered that a good manner in dialogue will gain sympathy with the people after the strong criticism she received even before she came, Abdel-Fatah said. This doesn't mean that the US has stopped imposing pressure, because behind this silk glove is the same foreign policy. It s just an indication of the change on the method of discourse under the Obama administration, he added.
