In a Nov. 25 column for the Los Angeles Times, Sharansky, a former
Soviet dissident, said Bush had been prepared to press Arab and other
countries to institute human rights and democracy. Egypt has been receiving
about $1.7 billion in annual U.S. aid, about 75 percent of which was
allocated for
military assistance.
"He routinely met with democratic dissidents in the Oval Office,"
Sharansky recalled. "Indeed, during his tenure, he openly met in different
forums with more than 100 dissidents and discussed with them the situation
in their countries."
The dissidents included those from Egypt. Sharansky cited Egyptian
democracy activist Ayman Nour, who was eventually imprisoned by the Mubarak
regime. After his release, Ibrahim fled to the United States to avoid
Egyptian arrest.
Administration sources said Bush pressed Egypt to introduce democratic
reforms in his first years in office. By 2004, the sources said, the
president softened his approach when Washington sought Egypt's support for
the U.S. war in Iraq.
Since 2005, the administration blocked several attempts by Congress to
link U.S. military aid to Egypt to democratic reforms. In 2007, Congress
approved legislation that linked $100 million of the $1.3 billion in annual
U.S. military aid to Egyptian compliance of human rights and security
cooperation with Israel. So far, the White House has blocked any attempt to
cut U.S. military aid to Cairo.
In his column, Sharansky urged President-elect Barack Obama to continue
Bush's policy of encouraging human rights and democracy in Egypt and other
countries. Sharansky said Obama could be more successful than Bush in
convincing dictatorships to ease represession.
"Obama finds himself in a much stronger position to lead than that
enjoyed by his predecessor," Sharansky said. "He could use his wide
popularity and his considerable influence over public opinion in America and
across the globe to support democratic dissidents from all over the world."
