When President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visit Washington this month they will bring to U.S. President Barack Obama “a comprehensive project for Middle East peace” that will cover “not just the Palestinian issue but all that is related to Israeli occupation of Arab territories,” Abbas said in Cairo Wednesday.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) shakes hands with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a news conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh May 11, 2009. Netanyahu was in Egypt on Monday for talks aimed at showing he can be a true Middle East peace partner before he heads to the White House on May 18. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

For Abbas, settling the Arab-Israeli struggle is the cornerstone for bringing about stability in the region and dealing with pending issues, including concerns over the nuclear program and political influence of Iran. “We believe that the settlement of the Arab-Israeli struggle is the essence for Middle East stability,” he said.
Egyptian officials share the same position. In press statements a week ago Tuesday, Gamal Mubarak, de facto second in command of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit, said that a just settlement of the Arab-Israeli struggle is a regional priority. On Iran, both insisted that the issue be addressed carefully.

“There is enough evidence that there are deep differences when it comes to the perceptions of both Egypt and Iran on the future of this region, especially in relation to the peace [process] and the political settlement [of the Arab-Israeli struggle],” Gamal Mubarak. He added that Egyptian concerns over Iran are “shared by the Arab world and the Arab League.”

The NDP standing position is that “it is important to work for a dialogue with Iran in order to reach an understanding on issues of disagreement; and maybe the two sides could find a common ground,” Gamal Mubarak said. “Yet the call for such dialogue means we accept any infringment on Arab and Egyptian national security,” he added.

The Gamal Mubarak statements coincided with consecutive visits by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and U.S. Presidential Envoy on Iran Dennis Ross, both of whom attempted to reassure Egypt — and other Arab allies — that the opening up of Washington to Iran does not mean the U.S. overlooking the concerns of its Arab allies.

In statements made following a meeting with President Mubarak the same day, Gates said that U.S. attempts to engage Iran have two objectives: first, to contain Iran’s nuclear program that the U.S., like Israel, believes to be of a military nature; second, to halt “Iran’s destabilizing efforts through the region.” According to Gates “reaching out to Iran with an open hand doesn’t in any way affect our strategic cooperation with Egypt.”

Egyptian officials remain hesitant. According to one Egyptian diplomat, “the Americans seem to be aware that they need to be careful, but they also seem very keen on this dialogue because they believe that engaging Iran could help stabilize the situation in Iraq as the U.S. pulls out its troops this year. The Americans are also keen to have a positive Iranian influence in Lebanon, on the eve of legislative elections, and in Afghanistan that is faced with increasing instability.”

Despite their misgivings, Egyptian officials are aware that it is becoming difficult to reverse the tide of changed U.S. policy. Beyond the modest portrayal afforded by Gates to dialogue efforts at present, Egyptian embassies report that U.S.-Iranian activities go far beyond “the few contacts” and “exploration phase” that Gates and Ross spoke of in Cairo. Hence diplomats and officials entrusted with preparing for the upcoming meeting of President Mubarak and President Obama have to consider carefully what position Egypt takes on Iran, given that Egyptian hesitance will not stop U.S.-Iran relations developing.

Is Egypt set to soften its stance? “It depends on how the Iranians position themselves. We never said we are completely opposed to engaging Iran; what we are opposed to and what we will continue to combat is for Iran to attempt to control a predominantly Arab region,” said one Egyptian diplomat. He added: “We told the Americans that if they can guarantee a change of Iran’s attitudes on matters related to the support of Islamist political movements in and around Egypt, and if they can secure an end to Tehran’s interference in the affairs of Arab countries, then we are on for the dialogue.”

A decision by Egypt to join dialogue with Iran would certainly expand the scope of Egyptian- American political and security cooperation. As such, Egyptian officials acknowledge that this could give bilateral Egypt-U.S. relations a new lease. They confirm that Cairo is interested in diversifying its relations with the U.S. Cooperation to stabilize Iraq is already agreed on between the two countries. Indeed, Cairo is planning to invite Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki to launch a new phase of Egyptian-Iraqi relations that would culminate in the reopening of the Egyptian embassy in Baghdad this year. Cairo is also examining U.S. requests that it work with Riyadh to help stabilize both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In statements in Cairo on Tuesday, Gates expressed a wish to widen strategic cooperation between the U.S. and Egypt. He indicated that U.S. military aid to Egypt would be linked to this, rather than to the pace of progress in Egyptian democratization that, he said, the Obama administration would still demand of Egypt.

The Mubarak-Obama summit later this month will decide the path Egypt-U.S. relations will take. While the devil will be in the details, Egyptian diplomats say one thing is sure: the summit will end tension between the two countries present for the past five years, opening the door to wider cooperation on issues of mutual concern.

-Al Ahram