Protests Precede Bush's Visit to Egypt

Protests Precede Bush's Visit to Egypt
Published: 1/16/08, 5:05 AM EDT
By ANNE GEARAN

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt (AP) - The Bush administration has been dismayed as hopes faded for a democratic swell in Egypt, but President Bush's visit Wednesday showed there is a pulse of political dissent. Protesters who don't like Egypt's authoritarian government went into the streets to say they don't like the American president, either.

Bush was paying a brief call on a historically important ally - the last stop on his eight-day Middle East tour - amid tension over Egypt's jailing of a political opponent and other democratic contractions. The three-hour, all-business visit contrasted with two days of compliments and colorful cultural diplomacy in Saudi Arabia.

Bush arrived in Sharm el-Sheik on a warm, sunny day and was greeted at the bottom of the stairs of Air Force One by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Renewed Mideast peace talks will be a main topic of talks between the two leaders. Egypt, one of only two Arab states to broker peace with Israel, had urged Bush to do more to resolve the Palestinian conflict with Israel.

Dozens demonstrated in the capital Cairo on Tuesday at a protest called by Egypt's most powerful opposition group, the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

"We as Egyptian citizens meet today on behalf of the Egyptian people, regardless of the official Egyptian stance," in hosting Bush, said Mohammed El Belgati, a representative of the Brotherhood. "We totally refuse this visit because George W. Bush only brought destruction, killing, distress and displacing in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine."

http://www.att.net/s/editorial.dll?bfromind=7816&eeid=5623658&_sitecat=1504&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=0&ck=&ch=ne