Former Egypt FM says US election outcome won't dictate US-Arab ties
In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy says that "the future of Arab-American affairs is 70% controlled by the Arab world and 30% in the hands of the United States," and hence does not depend on the next US president.
CAIRO — Egyptian foreign policy has faced many challenges, especially after the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood’s regime on July 3, 2013, and particularly when it came to countries that saw it necessary to accommodate the Islamic political movement and rejected its downfall. Among the latter, according to statements made by former Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy to Al-Monitor, was the United States, which adopted a policy to overly support the Muslim Brotherhood, and, in the process, ignored the popular decision reflected in the events that began on June 30, 2013, as the United States pressured Egypt by delaying the delivery of military aid, leading to a deep schism in the relationship of the two countries on the popular level.
Fahmy described Egyptian-US relations as being in a state of “stagnation,” with both countries endeavoring to “limit losses and avoid direct confrontation.” He further expected relations to undergo developments after the US elections, albeit at a snail’s pace, due to continued disparity in their respective positions vis-a-vis the issues of liberties and the assimilation of political Islam.
Fahmy strongly rejected the statements made by US presidential candidate Donald Trump concerning Islam and Muslims, which he viewed as hostile and unacceptable — expecting him to backtrack on them if he won the elections. In contrast, he described presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as a “veteran politician,” with all the positive and negative connotations associated with such a characterization.
Concerning the Egyptian-Russian rapprochement, Fahmy said, “It caused tension in Egyptian-US relations, particularly in the area of armament — with Russo-US relations also affected.”
