Obama hopes Mubarak returns to peace-making fold

Associated Press ^ | 18/8/09 | Steven Hurst

[Eleutheria5]

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is trying to restore Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak as the U.S. ace-in-the-hole in its decades-long effort to forge an elusive peace among Israel and the Arabs.

After a serious falling out over Bush administration pressure on human rights and democracy in Egypt, Mubarak is back in the U.S. capital for the first time in more than five years to meet with Obama on Tuesday. The relationship is far from healed, despite Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton having eased back on those touchy issues and Egypt showing greater willingness to help with the peace effort.

Adding to the delicacy of the talks are U.S. concerns about Egypt's future under the aging and increasingly frail Mubarak, who is 81 and has ruled Egypt for 28 years. He leads a country with an exploding population, ravaged by widespread poverty and high unemployment. He is believed to be grooming his son Gamal as successor.

[Eleutheria5]

Yes, Bush was such a stickler with human rights, democracy, and stuff like that. He even wanted elections and an end to hard-core torture! No worries, though. Obama doesn't give a fig for any of that. As long as Mubarak and son stay alive and in power, everything will be just fine in the Middle East. "There's a chance piece will come. Please take one."

[This_far]

Good Lord, he IS Jimmy Carter!

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................