Interview with senior US officials on regional issues: Part 1, Egypt
Egypt-USA, Politics, 3/25/2000

This is the part of an interview by ArabicNews.com with a senior US State Department official regarding some of the main issues relating to US policy and views on Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

ArabicNews: President Mubarak's visit: Basic outline of the purpose of the visit and what are some of the major expectations for achievement.

Senior State Department Official: First of all, you know, as a general rule, President Mubarak since he's been in power in Cairo has come here every -- almost every year-- and most recently, of course, he was here last June, the end of June, the beginning of July. So this is almost kind of like a regularly-scheduled visit although of course -- it's very good timing in terms of the peace process because there has been some very positive movement on the Palestinian track, and certainly we hope for some positive movement on the Syrian track when President Clinton meets President Assad on Sunday.

So I hope that the Mubarak visit can build on progress on both tracks that will be made between now and then.

ArabicNews: Egypt has played an important role during and throughout this process due to its importance as a country, its strategic role that it plays. What specifically has been Egypt's contribution to the peace process?

Senior State Department Official: Well of course as I think that you acknowledged in the preface to your question... Camp David still is the bedrock of all of the subsequent peace efforts in the region. And as the leading Arab state and as the state with enormous sort of cultural, political, social and Islamic-- Sunni Islamic-- influence, I think Egypt has a really big role in facilitating the moves toward peace of other players in the region. But particularly on the Palestinian track, that's been pretty obvious.

The Palestinians need kind of a someone who can give them good advice, kind of a big brother in the region, someone who can give them a certain amount of political cover in regional terms as they move ahead. I think Egypt has fulfilled that role quite well especially over the last year over the Palestinian track. You may recall in September Secretary Albright President Mubarak and Minister Moussa helped the Palestinians and the Israelis to reach their agreement in Sharm El-Sheikh when the process had been stuck. And of course even more recently in the last two weeks Prime Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat went to Sharm El-Sheikh to sign their deal on the 6.1 percent further redeployment that was implemented this week.

I think Egypt's played a very positive role. They certainly have a lot of credibility with the Palestinians and they have a lot of credibility with the Israelis as well, and in that vein I would note that President Mubarak and Prime Minister Barak seem to have forged a very effective working relationship in the year since Prime Minister Barak took over and formed the government in Israel.

ArabicNews: What are some of the main issues that are the focus of the Egyptian - US relations that will be discussed here. And we are talking exclusively about Egypt - US relations.

Senior State Department Official: Well of course one of the main aspects of the relationship from the start has been cooperation in the peace process, and I think the very timing itself will assure that the peace process is a major item on the agenda. But of course President Mubarak wants to showcase the bilateral relationship as well. The bilateral relationship has evolved in important ways in the last 20 years, especially in military-to-military relations and especially in economic terms.

I think President Mubarak is very, very keen to showcase the economic success that he has had in Egypt over the last decade, and I proudly note that we think that the US has played an important role in that respect. We think that we played an important role in economic improvement in Egypt in several ways. First of course there's been a lot of economic assistance-- billions of dollars over the last 20 years-- and that's been put to good use in improving infrastructure that helps facilitate a modern economy. It's produced a lot of technical advice and training for Egyptian experts over the years.

I would also note that the debt forgiveness that the US made bilaterally after the Gulf War and helped encourage multilaterally after the Gulf War I think made it easier for President Mubarak to make some of the harder economic reform decisions in Egypt that needed to be taken, and as a result of the decisions that he took Egypt is in I think it's the fifth year of at least five percent growth.

Now for a country that as recently as 10 years ago was kind of always pointed to as a prime example of what was wrong with developing world economies this is a really dramatic and amazing turnaround. And I think President Mubarak would like to highlight that. He has particular interest in how high technology can help make Egypt a more modern economy, a more attractive destination for foreign investment. So I expect those aspects to figure pretty prominently in the visit as well.

ArabicNews: where do you see Egyptian - US relations being post-peace process, assuming things will be settled?

Senior State Department Official: My assumption is that the US and Egypt have a strategic relationship. Egypt is the biggest most influential state in the Arab arena, nothing's going to change that. I mean, those are kind of the demographic, cultural, political, and increasingly economic facts on the ground. We have a very, very important military relationship that's crucial to the security of the Gulf, etcetera. Those things are going to remain. I would expect that in the new era of peace that the bilateral relationship is going to be an essential mechanism -- vehicle -- for shaping that new environment after peace.

ArabicNews: What do you see Egypt's role in Africa?

Senior State Department Official: Well of course Egypt first of all does consider itself to be both a fully Arab state and a fully African state. And twice President Mubarak has been the chair of the Organization of African Unity. They have a particular interest of course in the Nile basin because Nile water is Egypt's ultimate national security interest. That means of course that they take a very active interest in Sudanese affairs. They're very keen on trying to encourage stability in the Nile basin and not conflict.

They do have a role there and of course Egypt has a very effective diplomacy overall. And so I expect in the future when the Arab-Israeli situation is settled, I expect that Egypt will pay even more attention to African affairs, but not just because of the Nile issue. They also see Africa as an important-- increasingly important market for their goods....

ArabicNews: Do you see a US role in using Egypt as a an economic base and perhaps as a political base to further add stability to the North African Horn and to enhance Egypt's role in Africa as per having investments being set up for exports, for example US companies setting up as Japan intends to do, set-up companies in Egypt for Export (to Africa) etcetera

Senior State Department Official: - Well of course a large part of these economic investment and commercial questions have to do with strategic location. They certainly have a strategic location. It has to do with the availability of labor, both you know in bald terms cheap labor and human talents on the higher end of the labor spectrum. Egypt has both of those things.

So I think if Egypt continues to make the right economic structural reform decision, that investment is naturally going to go there. It's not going to go there because Uncle Sam tells companies they should. It's going to go there according to natural, rational, commercial, economic decisions.

But I think that will happen because I'm convinced that the Mubarak government plans to move-- continue moving ahead on economic reform.

ArabicNews: How do you see the main points of conflict, what are some of the friction points in US -Egyptian relations.

Senior State Department Official: I'm not sure we have any right now. Right now things are actually very, very smooth between the two governments. There are occasional points of differences of emphasis, but major points of conflict, no. I just don't think we have any.

ArabicNews: What would be some of those major points of emphasis?

Senior State Department Official: Well I'm not sure any of them are major.

ArabicNews: What are some of the minor ones?

Senior State Department Official: Over the last few years, we have occasionally had differences of emphasis on some tactical questions of how to move the peace process forward, but we always work them out. Which is of course the hallmark of a mature relationship between two states. But in fact right now on the peace process, even those differences of emphasis don't exist.

Previous Stories:
  Strategy of electricity and energy until the year 2010, reviewed   (3/24/2000)
  Egypt Wants to build Silicon Valley with US cooperation   (3/23/2000)
  Baz highlights importance of Mubarak's visit to US   (3/23/2000)
  Mubarak - Clinton talks cover important issues   (3/23/2000)
  Timely visit for peace process   (3/23/2000)
  US ambassador in Cairo: Special concern for Mubarak's visit to USA   (3/21/2000)

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