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Africa North
Egypt’s Sissi says country in danger of collapse, blames US
2015-03-14
[IsraelTimes] President says US has 'responsibility' to do more; speaks to Netanyahu 'a lot' and understands Israel's concerns on Iran

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi called for greater US military support to avoid the "collapse" of Egypt, and asserted that relations with Israel are strong.

In an interview with The Washington Post published Thursday, Sissi said he believes there is "a miscommunication" with Washington, and that the United States must stand by Egyptians in the fight against regional extremism and the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
"It seems we can't convey our voice in as clear a fashion as it should be. However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone...
the dangers surrounding this region are clear, and I believe the United States is following closely how terrorism is threatening [it]."

The Egyptian president said the US has the "responsibility" to do more in the fight against the Islamic State. He said the campaign against the snuffies can't be from the air alone, and that there must be "boots on the ground."

Angered by stalled Egyptian democratic reforms, Washington has frozen a chunk of its $1.5 billion in mostly military annual aid to Cairo since October 2013, insisting greater progress must be made.

Apache helicopters, however, have been delivered to the Egyptian military -- a key ally in the fight against al-Qaeda and Islamic snuffies sheltering in the Sinai Peninsula.

US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
arrived in Cairo Thursday for the Egypt Economic Development Conference, and was expected to meet Sissi.

Egypt hopes the foreign investor conference will jump-start its battered economy, while showcasing international support for Sissi as he battles radical Islamist opponents.

Sissi also addressed Egypt's current relations with Israel, citing the permitting of Egyptian troops to be placed in the demilitarized areas of the Sinai Peninsula as an example of positive cooperation.

"The hostile mood and skepticism have diminished with peace with Israel. This can happen with the other Arab countries and Israel if a two-state solution is reached."

Saying he speaks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a lot," Sissi expressed support for renewed peace talks with the Paleostinians.

"I just want to reassure him that achieving peace [with the Paleostinians] will be a historic deal for him and for Israel, and that we are ready to help reach this peace," he added.

Further alluding to amicable relations with Jerusalem, Sissi said that "we must understand the Israeli concern" regarding the nuclear deal taking shape between world powers and Iran.

Sissi repeatedly expressed concern
...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended...
s during the interview about the repercussions of his country's collapse on the Middle East: "If this country fails, the whole region will slide into a cycle of anarchy that will represent a grave danger to all countries in this region, including Israel, and would extend to Europe."

Kerry promotes US investment in Egypt; no new military aid

[Ynet] Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
is delivering words of encouragement for Egypt's efforts to attract greater foreign investment, but no new military assistance as demanded by the country's president.

Kerry's hands are tied because the B.O. regime is undecided about whether to affirm Egypt's progress on democracy and human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
or issue a national security waiver. It must do one or other under the 2015 federal budget to unblock hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid for Egypt.

In the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh Friday, Kerry said investment was needed to restore confidence in Egypt and provide stability for the region.

He said the US, whose companies invested $2 billion in Egypt last year, stood ready to help.
Posted by:trailing wife

#6  The problem from the start is that Egypt was aligned as an ally when O took office

But all was forgiven when the Muslim Brotherhood democratically (scare quotes optional) took power after Mubarek was driven out. The problem is that al Sisi, the army's man replaced him by the same process, when our president knows that the softer, gentler Islamofascism of the Brotherhood is the irresistible wave of the future. That is what is unforgivable, it seems to me.
Posted by: trailing wife   2015-03-14 11:49  

#5  The problem from the start is that Egypt was aligned as an ally when O took office. Look how he's treated all of America's (former) allies. Get in line.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2015-03-14 10:14  

#4  Actually, LR, Israel's interests---as taught by the history of the last 70 years---are, a bit, different.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2015-03-14 04:50  

#3  It is time for Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinians to mend their differences, and combine efforts against the twin threats posed by ISIS, and the nascent New Persian Empire.

Both ISIS and Persia represent existential threats to the four named parties, and the United States is backing the bad guys - so the four amigos are on their own. They definitely make strange bedfellows, but necessity breeds extraordinary outcomes.

Posted by: Lone Ranger   2015-03-14 02:36  

#2  * DEFENCE.PK/FORUM BLOGGER = asks iff Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood will now choose to rise up + fight the Main = Al-Sissi Govt., either on its own or in collusion wid other Armed groups including but not limited to the ISIS + Al-Qaeda???
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2015-03-14 01:47  

#1  Blames the US? Well.... yeah. He's right. Obama has screwed over anyone that opposes the Muslim Bruderbund.
Posted by: OldSpook   2015-03-14 01:44  

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