Egypt Daily Update: President Trump Welcomes al-Sisi to the White House
April 3, 2017 President Trump Welcomes al-Sisi to the White House Court Voids Ruling Halting Red Sea Islands Transfer Cartoon of the Day: Red Sea Islands Deal Top Stories
President Trump Welcomes al-Sisi to the White House
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi‘s controversial meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington occurred this afternoon. While in the Oval Office with al-Sisi today, Trump stated, “We agree on so many things. I just want to let everybody know in case there was any doubt that we are very much behind President Sisi. He’s done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation. We are very much behind Egypt and the people of Egypt […] You have a great friend and ally in the United States and in me.” In return, al-Sisi praised Trump’s strong stance against the “evil ideology” of terrorism. “We will fight terrorism, and other things, we’re going to be friends for a long, long period of time,” Trump added. Al Jazeera reported that protesters gathered near the Washington Monument on Sunday to draw attention to al-Sisi’s human rights record, including the thousands of political prisoners currently detained in Egypt. Activist Mohamed Soltan, an Egyptian-American who was detained in Egypt for nearly two years, said, “We’re giving $1.5 billion to an autocrat who has killed thousands of people, who has imprisoned tens of thousands of people, including Americans. We’re here to shed light on their plight.” At least seven Americans are currently in Egyptian prisons.
In a background press briefing ahead of the visit, a senior administration official asserted that the United States seeks to “support President al-Sisi’s efforts” in the areas of moderating Islamic discourse, initiating economic reforms, reestablishing “Egypt’s regional leadership role,” and defeating the “terrorist threat in the Sinai.” In response to a question regarding al-Sisi’s human rights record, the official stated that “human rights are always an issue of concern to the United States, and they’re first and foremost in our discussions. Our approach is to handle these types of sensitive issues in a private, more discreet way.”
Egyptian officials told Ahram Online that al-Sisi is seeking augmented security cooperation between the two countries as well as the resumption of cash flow financing with regards to military assistance. According to one of the officials, Egypt’s demands “are really about showing the true strategic commitment of the U.S. to its partnership with Egypt; we want Washington to prove its words on its plans to provide Egypt with economic and security support.” A Western diplomat told Ahram Online that these agreements may depend on whether al-Sisi commits to helping the United States in fighting militant groups across the region, not just in the Sinai Peninsula.
Meanwhile, on Monday a bipartisan group of senators was slated to introduce a resolution “reaffirming U.S. commitment to the U.S.-Egypt partnership.” While the resolution mentions the value of the U.S.-Egypt partnership, it also “calls for Egypt’s leaders to take steps toward meaningful political and human rights reforms,” end the harassment of the NGO community and independent media, and release American citizen Aya Hijazi. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL),Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) sponsored the resolution.
Court Voids Ruling Halting Red Sea Islands Transfer
On Sunday, Egypt’s Court of Urgent Matters struck down an earlier High Administrative Court ruling that voided Egypt’s planned transfer of the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia. The latest ruling validates the transfer deal originally signed by Egypt and Saudi Arabia on the grounds that the High Administrative Court has no jurisdiction over the matter. The decision comes in the wake of President al-Sisi’s meeting with King Salman of Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the Arab League summit last week. Saudi Arabia’s Aramco also recently reinstated fuel shipments to Egypt after suspending them last year.
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