Egypt backs treaty with Israel
By EDITH M. LEDERER and TAREK EL-TABLAWY Associated Press
Posted: 09/26/2011 07:52:14 PM MDT
FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2011 file photo, Egyptian
Foreign... ((AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File))
UNITED NATIONS—Egypt's foreign minister said Monday his country will
always respect its landmark peace treaty with Israel and is seeking
ways to strengthen its "strategic relationship" with the United
States.
Mohamed Amr's comments in an interview with The Associated Press
come at a time of mounting concern about deteriorating
Israeli-Egyptian relations and Washington's diminished influence on
the Cairo government following the ouster of long-time President
Hosni Mubarak in February.
Amr appeared to backpedal on comments last week by Egyptian Prime
Minister Essam Sharaf, who said the 1979 treaty with Israel was not
"sacred" and may be open to revisions in the future. His remarks
triggered alarm bells in Israel, which saw its embassy in Cairo
ransacked by rioters earlier this month following protests over the
killing of six Egyptian border guards by Israeli soldiers pursuing
Palestinians who had infiltrated and killed eight Israelis.
Amr said relations between Egypt and Israel were governed by the
U.S.-brokered peace agreement and that Cairo honored all its treaty
commitments as long as the other party did the same "in letter and
in spirit."
Asked if Israel had run afoul of the spirit or letter of the 1979
agreement, Amr said: "No, I don't mean Israel in particular. I mean
our agreements in general."
He stressed that Egypt will always respect its treaty
obligations, including the peace deal with Israel. He said in
response to a question
that this meant there is no chance the peace treaty would be abrogated
or changed, adding, "We respect our obligations."
Mubarak had largely kept the peace between his country and Israel
despite popular resentment toward the U.S.-brokered Camp David accords,
which included a framework for peace in the Middle East and another
detailing the terms of peace between Egypt and Israel. The United States
had a much closer relationship with Mubarak, and since his ouster the
Obama administration has expressed concern about a "creeping" trend of
anti-American sentiment in Egypt.
Asked about concerns over the state of U.S.-Egyptian relations, Amr
said he was heading to Washington for talks Tuesday and Wednesday with
senior U.S. officials including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton.
"We always have strong relations with the United States," he said.
"This is not limited to one era or one regime, this is a strategic
relationship that benefits both sides actually, not only one side. ... I
think both parties are very much interested in not only maintaining
their relationship but also strengthening it in the future."
Amr, a former diplomat who worked at the World Bank before being
tapped as foreign minister by the new government in July, said Egypt is
passing through "exciting times" following the popular uprising that
toppled Mubarak.
Amr said he is hopeful the roadmap to "a truly representative
government" will be kept—elections for the two houses of parliament by
the end of November, establishment of a 100-member committee to draft a
constitution in six months, a referendum on the constitution and
presidential elections in early 2012.
"But, of course, in such circumstances, you cannot have definite
dates," he said. "You always have to be flexible and respond to whatever
circumstances that may arise. But we are optimistic that this is more or
less the schedule for the coming period."
Amr downplayed concerns that a potential strong showing by supporters
of the Muslim Brotherhood in parliamentary elections could pose
challenges to the current government's goal of shifting Egypt from an
autocratic nation to a democratic state.
"A characteristic of any democratic system ... is that everybody
should have a chance to express his views—to put his ideology to the
people," he said, adding that one positive outcome from this year's
events has been a greater level of political transparency and
opportunity for groups to speak up more openly.
"Whatever outcome will come through the ballot box (it) should be and
must be respected," he said.
The Muslim Brotherhood was the best organized and most influential
opposition movement in Egypt under Mubarak's regime, but had to field
candidates as independents in the past and its influence was largely
subverted—at least in official channels—by the former ruling National
Democratic Party.
Many in Egypt are worried that a strong showing by the Brotherhood,
as it is known, could push the country away from the framework of a
largely secular state. That potential shift is a source of major concern
for the country's minority Coptic Christians and some in the West.
But the country has also faced a host of other challenges in the
months since Mubarak was toppled, including near daily strikes, an
economy that is struggling to restart after being hammered in the wake
of the revolution, and near daily protests including over the trial of
Mubarak and other former regime officials.
Despite the challenges, Amr said he was optimistic about the future
of Egypt and its Arab neighbors.
The popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt have sparked movements for
democratic change elsewhere in the region, "and this shows you again
that Arab people have more in common than maybe outsiders think," he
said.
Where did the foreign minister see Egypt in 10 years?
"I see a democratic, liberal, developed country ... which regained
its sense of hope," Amr said. "I see a country that is much better than
the country we had yesterday, and this, inevitably, will lead to Egypt
reoccupying its rightful place as a leading power, as a beacon for
progress and moderation, in our region."