CAIRO — President Mubarak is withdrawing from contact with U.S.
leaders.
Western diplomatic sources said Mubarak has refused to respond to
requests by U.S. leaders to discuss their concerns. The sources said the
Egyptian president has been angered by constant U.S. criticism of his
regime.
[On Tuesday, Egypt warned of additional measures against unlicensed
protests, Middle East Newsline reported. The Interior Ministry warning came ahead of the May 18 trial of
two judges who had criticized the parliamentary elections last year.]
"Mubarak is ailing and has less patience to deal with criticism," a
diplomatic source said.
Since 2003, Mubarak has refused to visit Washington, a departure from a
25-year tradition of annual trips to the United States. The sources said
Mubarak concluded that he did not want to face criticism by Congress over
Egypt's human rights record. Egypt receives $1.3 billion in annual U.S.
military aid, the largest such assistance after Israel.
Instead, Mubarak has sent his son, Gamal, to maintain Egyptian relations
with Washington. On May 15, the Qatari-based A-Jazeera satellite television
reported that Gamal secretly met Vice President Dick Cheney at the White
House on May 12.
Later Western diplomatic sources said Gamal also met President George
Bush for several minutes. They said Cheney was accompanied by National
Security Adviser Stephen Hadley during the meeting with Mubarak's son, a
session that focused on Iraq and regional issues.
On Tuesday, both Egypt and the United States acknowledged the meeting. A
White House official said Cheney discussed the recent protests against the
Mubarak regime and the use of Egyptian security agents to beat
demonstrators. The official said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also
met Mubarak, who spent two days in the United States last week.
In Cairo, Gamal's office issued a statement that acknowledged that he
held a meeting in the White House. The statement termed the meeting
"unofficial and special" and said it dealt with Egyptian political reforms
as well as regional developments.
A-Jazeera said its correspondent saw Gamal and Egyptian ambassador to
Washington, Nabil Fahmi, enter the White House. Gamal, 42, has been regarded
as the heir-apparent of the 77-year-old president, who was said to be
fighting cancer.
The meeting took place as the State Department expressed concern over an
Egyptian crackdown on pro-democracy protests. The protests were sparked by
the arrest and prosecution of two Egyptian judges who criticized
parliamentary elections in November 2005.
The Egyptian president has warned that he would not take orders from the
United States. Mubarak aides as well as Egypt's state-owned dailies accused
the Bush administration of interfering in their nation's domestic affairs.
"Because we don't listen [to them] and do not bow to anything which does
not match with our interests [they criticize us]," Mubarak said.
