Doorknock March 2004   Mission Statement Delegates' Profile Mission Report   Missions To The U.S.

AmCham Egypt Doorknock Mission to Washington D.C. (March 29-April 6, 2004) An Update on Reforms in Egypt

Mission Report:

This year, AmCham’s annual DoorKnock Mission to the US capital took place at a time when the agenda in Washington was dominated by electoral politics; the state of the economy (especially high unemployment); and the fear that the situation in Iraq could descend into chaos, making it ever more difficult for the US to extricate itself from the quagmire.

Besides the issues of Iraq and the war against terrorism, two themes preoccupied US policymakers and specialists: the Bush administration’s proposed “Greater Middle East Partnership,” aimed at bringing about democracy in the Arab and Islamic worlds; and Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s proposed unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, which has been endorsed by the US.

While Egypt is seen by Washington as playing a constructive role in the region (vis-à-vis the war on terrorism, the Israel-Palestine peace process and Iraq reconstruction), there is also a desire to see Egypt participate – along with the US – in managing the Israeli withdrawal.

Additionally, there is hope that Egypt will support the development of an effective Palestinian Authority, within the context of forward progress on the “Road Map” negotiations.

On Iraq, while there is a level of appreciation for what Egypt has done, the administration, given increasingly difficult circumstances militarily, appears to be looking for greater support from Cairo.

Since AmCham’s last visit to Washington in October of last year, prospects for immediate progress on the proposed US-Egypt free trade agreement (FTA) have diminished, due in large part to the US presidential election campaign. The Bush administration is unlikely to promote any FTAs while the president is under attack by his Democratic opponents over the issue of unemployment and the outsourcing of jobs.

Senator John Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president, meanwhile, has promised to review all existing FTAs in the first 120 days of his administration, should he be elected.

Nevertheless, there is an appreciation that Egypt is at least making modest progress in terms of economic liberalization. At least three members of Congress, as well as a number of think tanks, cited the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies’ De Soto project as a positive step for Egypt, and one which should be emulated elsewhere in the region.

Still, overall, AmCham delegates noted a significant shift in emphasis away from economic reform issues, which usually dominate the agenda, to a focus on political, electoral, legal, press and democratic reforms in Egypt and the Middle East in general.

Increasingly, Washington is viewing the democratization of the Arab world as a national security issue, and is therefore making political reform in the region a priority. In this regard, there was unanimous praise for the mid-March Alexandria Declaration and President Mubarak’s role at the event.

Nevertheless, the administration has also come to realize that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to regional reform is unworkable.

Meetings
During six working days, the AmCham delegation held numerous meetings with US officials and policymakers, including:

• Senior Foreign Policy Advisers to Vice President Cheney

• Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs

• Under Secretary of State for Diplomacy and Public Affairs

• Under Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs

• Acting Assistant Administrator of USAID

• Over 30 members of the House of Representatives

• Five senators

• Assistant US Trade Representative

• Senior Director for International Economic Affairs at the National Security Council

• Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs

• President of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy

• President of the Middle East Institute

• Former NSC Director Gen. (ret.) Brent Scowcroft

In addition to these individual meetings, the AmCham delegation was honored at a reception hosted by Congressman Ron Lewis (R-Kentucky) and attended by [members of Congress and senior congressional staff, including Congressman – and chairman of the Trade Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee – Phil Crane.

AmCham president Taher Helmy made two presentations to the senior staffs of four major congressional committees: the Senate finance and foreign relations committees, and the House financial services and ways and means committees. The presentation before the Senate Finance Committee was particularly well attended, drawing staffers from every senator on the committee.

Once again, the personal relationships established in visits to Egypt by some 30 congressional staffers – organized by AmCham – over the last two years visits to Egyptproved extremely helpful in arranging meetings in Washington, and in communicating Egypt’s perspective.

Dialogue
The level of US official interest in our visit was high, and the responses to our message were generally positive. Because of the Easter/Passover recess, which began on April 2, there were only a few days in which to arrange meetings with members of Congress. Nevertheless, 30 members of the house and five senators made time in their schedules to meet with the delegation.

This attention attests to the desire among Washington policymakers to hear AmCham’s perspective on the current dilemmas plaguing the region. The fact that President Mubarak was concurrently holding a meeting with President Bush during the week of April 12 contributed to an interest in Egypt’s perspective.

When members of Congress return to their home districts to campaign, they will likely face serious questions from constituents about US policy in Iraq, along with the issues of terrorism and regional instability in the wider Middle East. Much of the American public has become wary of the region, and is confused by what they perceive as anti-American hostility.

It was, therefore, helpful for members of Congress to meet with a group from the Middle East that talked about ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship and deepen US ties to the region.

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