Egyptian president to meet with Trump

Associated Press

CAIRO

Making his first official visit to Washington, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s meeting this week with U.S. President Donald Trump would be a significant step in the international rehabilitation of the general-turned-politician who was kept out of the Obama White House.

But, analysts caution, there may not be much more that Egypt’s president could take from today’s White House visit, branded as historic by pro-government media at home.

There has been no official word on the specifics of the wish list el-Sissi is taking to Washington, but expectations include more military aid, designating el-Sissi’s nemesis – the Muslim Brotherhood – as a terrorist group, and restoring the kind of strategic partnership Egypt enjoyed with the United States for more than 30 years.

Another issue that may arise is the Arab League’s territorial demands in exchange for peace with Israel, reaffirmed last week. El-Sissi, whose country already has peace with Israel, may be in a position to help Trump push for a broad deal and gain points in Washington – but there is potential for disagreement as well.

Admittedly, the Egyptian leader has reason to be optimistic about his relations with Trump.

Former President Barak Obama kept el-Sissi at arm’s length after the Egyptian leader rose to power in 2013 when, as defense minister, he led the military’s ouster of the Islamist Mohammed Morsi. He was elected president a year later but has ruled with an iron grip.

Obama never invited el-Sissi to the White House, allowed his administration to repeatedly admonish his government over its human-rights record and briefly suspended some U.S. military aid, which normally runs at $1.3 billion a year.

The Egyptian media responded by accusing Obama of supporting the Brotherhood and destabilizing the country through his administration’s backing of a popular 2011 uprising that ousted long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak.

In contrast, Trump and el-Sissi hit it off from their first encounter in September, when the Republican nominee spoke of “good chemistry” between them after a meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

The same media that vilified Obama hailed Trump as a strong leader who will treat Egypt with respect and appreciated el-Sissi’s leadership. Moreover, there is expectation that a Trump administration will be far more tolerant of human-rights abuses in the name of stability and counter- terrorism.