Leak Limits Obama’s Egypt Options
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak recounting to ABC News how he answered President Obama’s suggestion that he should step aside before the already-scheduled September elections. The White House is rejecting reports in the New York Times and elsewhere that President Obama is backing an interim government in Egypt led by Vice President Omar Suleiman and blessed by that nation’s military.
Obama aides were quick to say the administration is assessing multiple courses of action and potential outcomes for the stricken American ally, and that the Suleiman option was just one of them. Any plan that was seen as being pushed by Obama would suffer in Egyptian popular opinion. Growing anti-Western and xenophobic attitudes in Egypt, evidenced in the beatings and arrests of journalists, would mean any American-supported plan could be viewed as an effort to compromise Egypt’s sovereignty.
Suleiman already has an image problem as the former head of President Hosni Mubarak’s detested intelligence forces. So, whoever leaked the Suleiman strategy to the Times did the administration no favors.
Today, massive protests calling for Mubarak’s immediate departure seemed to be more than tolerated by the military. The head of the nation’s armed forces, Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, appeared in Tahrir Square and troops provided crowd control and weapons checks in an effort to ensure peaceful demonstrations.
If calm can be restored and maintained after two days of fighting between pro-government and anti-government mobs, it will badly erode Mubarak’s last claim on power – that his departure would worsen the chaos.
He told ABC News as much when he said “If I resign today, there will be chaos." If there is no chaos, Mubarak’s argument will be badly weakened.
As American diplomats and military leaders help forge a new Army-approved interim government to take Mubarak’s’ place, stability in the streets and secrecy about their involvement are crucial.
Suleiman already has an image problem as the former head of President Hosni Mubarak’s detested intelligence forces. So, whoever leaked the Suleiman strategy to the Times did the administration no favors.
Today, massive protests calling for Mubarak’s immediate departure seemed to be more than tolerated by the military. The head of the nation’s armed forces, Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, appeared in Tahrir Square and troops provided crowd control and weapons checks in an effort to ensure peaceful demonstrations.
If calm can be restored and maintained after two days of fighting between pro-government and anti-government mobs, it will badly erode Mubarak’s last claim on power – that his departure would worsen the chaos.
He told ABC News as much when he said “If I resign today, there will be chaos." If there is no chaos, Mubarak’s argument will be badly weakened.
As American diplomats and military leaders help forge a new Army-approved interim government to take Mubarak’s’ place, stability in the streets and secrecy about their involvement are crucial.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/02/04/leak-limits-obamas-egypt-options/
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