2 ابريل 2009

أشكركم جزيلا وأشكر د. عبادة السرحان لهذه التقدمة الطيبة وأشكر السيد خالد العزازي ود. عبد المنعم المشاط لترحيبكم اليوم ودعوتي للحضور هنا فى جامعة المستقبل.

من نظرتي الوجيزة لحرم الجامعة أستطيع أن أقول أن مؤسسي هذه الجامعة يضيفون صفحة جديدة جدا ومميزة جدا لتاريخ مصر من فرص التعليم الحديث. وأنا أهنئهم على رؤيتهم وجهودهم لتوفير فرصة إختيار أخرى للشباب المصري فى سعيهم للحصول على متطلباتهم التعليمية العليا مما سوف يساهم فى نمو وتنمية بلادهم العظيمة والواسعة التي يعيشون فيها.

أنا هنا فى الحقيقة أتحدث لأول مرة مع مجموعة من الطلاب من جامعة خاصة فى مصر ولكني حاولت العديد من المرات خلال العام الذي قضيته فى مصر ان أخرج وأقابل طلاب فى جامعات أخرى عامة وغيرها من المجالات، لأني أعتقد بحق أن الحوار فيما بين البلدان يحتاج أن يتواجد على مستويات مختلفة. وأنا أعتقد أنني كضيف أجنبي فى بلدكم فإنه من المفيد جدا حقا أننا نستطيع أن نتحاور مع شباب مصر، وهو شئ أتطلع كثيرا لعمله، وأنا أعرف ان فرصتنا لتبادل الآراء اليوم سوف تثري بالفعل معرفتي بمصر.

وقد ارتأيت أن أتحدث لبضع دقائق عن العلاقات الثنائية بين مصر والولايات المتحدة ولكنني سوف أتطلع لأسئلتكم وتعليقاتكم لأنني أرى أنها القيمة الكبرى من لقائنا اليوم. إحدى الأهداف الرئيسية وربما الأساسية للسفارة الأمريكية بمصر هي تدعيم أواصر العلاقات الثنائية بين الولايات المتحدة ومصر، فأود أن أركز على هذه العلاقات وعلى مشاركتنا فى السلام والتجارة والتبادل التعليمى.

على مدى ثلاثة عقود، ظلت الولايات المتحدة ومصر فى شراكة تدعو للفخر لدعم السلام فى المنطقة. فقد عملنا سويا لمساندة الفلسطينيين والإسرائيليين للإتفاق على حل عادل ودائم لصراعهما. وظل دور مصر كما نراه اليوم دورا حيويا للغاية ويستحق كل التقدير والإهتمام فى السعي لتحقيق السلام. لقد احتفلنا توا بالذكرى الثلاثين لإتفاقية السلام بين مصر وإسرائيل. وبغض النظر عن الأوضاع الحالية فلا أعتقد أن أحدا يمكن أن ينظر الى القرن العشرين بدون أن يتذكر هذا السلام. فهو أحد أشجع القرارات التي اتخذها رجل دولة فى القرن العشرين وأوعدها. وأنا أعتقد أن مصر لازالت فى مقدمة الباحثين عن السلام والذي تظل الولايات المتحدة داعمة أكيدة له ونظل نسعى الى رأي مصر وقيادتها فى هذه الأمور.

لقد التزم الرئيس أوباما بحل الصراع الإسرائيلي الفلسطينى. ومن أول يوم له كرئيس وضح التزامه بحل الصراع العربي الإسرائيلي معتمدا على إقامة دولة فلسطينية ذات إكتفاء ذاتي واستمرارية تعيش جنبا الى جنب فى سلام مع إسرائيل. وأنا أعلم أن تعاون مصر والولايات المتحدة لتحقيق هذا الهدف سوف يستمر.

لقد أتخذت مصر عدة خطوات على مدى السنين لإنفتاح مجتمعها من خلال الصحافة بما فيها الجرائد المستقلة والمحطات التليفزيونية. وهي في حوار سياسي جاد – تثريه مصادر من المتحدثين المصريين الصرحاء على كافة مسارات الإعلام سواء المدونين أو الصحافة أو التليفزيون أو الراديو أو المجتمع المدني المصري الذي يضم عدد لا حصر له من المنظمات غير الحكومية وغيرها من المجموعات المدنية وهي توفر للمواطنين المصريين فرص لمعالجة المشكلات التي تواجه مصر وتساعد على تكوين المستقبل السياسي لبلادكم.

إن بلادي تعلم جيدا أن الطريق نحو الديمقراطية والمشاركة السياسية ليس ممهدا. ففى فترة حياتي فقط شهدتُ كيف أن الولايات المتحدة ضمنت الحق فى التصويت لجميع المواطينين. إن القائمين على قوانيننا ومؤسساتنا وشعبنا لم يبلغوا الكمال ولكن الآباء المؤسسين لأمريكا كانت لديهم رؤية حول الحكومة النموذجية – وهي حكومة من الشعب وبالشعب وللشعب. فالشعب هو الذي يحرك المؤسسات لتحقيق أكبر قدر من النموذجية التي توافق خصوصية الدولة التاريخية والثقافية.

وأعتقد أن تلك الحقيقة وضحت بشكل كبير فى الولايات المتحدة عندما أنتُخب باراك أوبام لآول مرة كأمريكي من أصول إفريقية رئيسا للولايات المتحدة. لا أستطيع أن أصف لكم حجم هذا التغيير وعمقه بالنسبة للشعب الأمريكي. فلم يكن ببساطة متخيلا وأنا فى طفولتي أنني سأشهد مثل هذا التطور. وأعتقد أن كل أمريكي يشعر بالفخر بهذه اللحظة من حياتنا الديمقراطية.

ويواجه الرئيس أوباما تحديات جسام بما فيها الأزمة المالية العالمية ونظام رعاية صيحة مثقلا وحروب فى أفغانستان والعراق وأزمة المناخ العالمية، ولكن لدي الشعب الأمريكي الأمل أن إدارته سوف تعمل مع الشركاء الدوليين لإيجاد حلول لكل هذه التحديات.

تعتمد العلاقة الثنائية بين الولايات المتحدة ومصر على الصداقة والإحترام بين الشعبين. تكوَن هذا الأساسي عن طريق الإنجازات والنشاطات التي تشارك فيها الأمريكيين والمصريين معا خلال أعوام كثيرة. لقد عملنا معا وحققنا إنجازات فى السلام كما قلنا من قبل وأيضا فى التنمية الإقتصادية والتجارة.

عندما يعم السلام يبدأ الناس فى التفكير فى كيفية تكوين مستقبل أكثر إزدهارا من خلال نمو إقتصادي مستدام إعتمادا على الإقتصاد الحر والتجارة الحرة. هنا أيضا كانت مشاركتنا ثابتة. ففي خلال الثلاثة عقود الماضية إستثمر الأمريكيون أكثر من 58 مليار دولار فى المساعدة الإقتصادية والعسكرية لدعم جهود مصر الخاصة فى بناء مستقبلا أكثر إشراقا وضمان إستمراره.

وتعد التجارة هي أهم جانب الآن في العلاقات الإقتصادية بين مصر والولايات المتحدة، فمنذ عام 2000 تضاعفت الإستثمارات الأمريكية المباشرة فى مصر الى حوالي 6 مليار دولار. وبين عامي 2003 و2008 زاد إجمالي التجارة الثنائية بنسبة 124% . وخلال نفس الفترة زاد إجمالي الصادرات المصرية للولايات المتحدة بنسبة أكثر من 100%. و زادت الصادرات من المنسوجات بنسبة 64% . بين عامي 1976 و 2008 أنفقت الولايات المتحدة أكثر من 60 مليار دولار من مساعدات إقتصادية وعسكرية لمصر وهي أكبر حجم من مساعدات التنمية تقدمها الولايات المتحدة فى العالم . وبين عامي 1985 و 2008 قامت الولايات المتحدة ومصر بعمليات تجارة ثنائية وصلت الى أكثر من 96 مليار دولار. إذن ففي خلال العشرين عاما الماضية أصبحت التجارة أهم عامل فى العلاقات بين الولايات المتحدة ومصر.

وكان لقرار الكونجرس الأمريكي بطرح مميزات إتفاقية المناطق الصناعية المؤهلة (QIZ) لمصر وكذلك قرار مصر بالإنتفاع من هذه الفرصة. كان لهما الأثر الكبير فى نمو الصادرات والمبيعات المصرية للولايات المتحدة، فأكثر من 100 ألف عامل مصري يعملون فى مصانع المناطق الصناعية المؤهلة (QIZ). وفي عام 2007 زادت صادرات هذه المناطق بنسبة 10% لتصل قيمة البضاعة المصدرة للولايات المتحدة الى أكثر من 689 مليون دولار. وهذه تعتبر زيادة بنسبة 300% فى صادرات المنسوجات للولايات المتحدة فى العامين أو الثلاثة الماضية.

وبينما نما إقتصاد مصر وإزدهر خلال الثلاثين عاما الماضية، نقص بطبيعة الحال دور المنظمات الدولية المانحة. فى عام 1980 كانت المساعدات الإقتصادية والعسكرية من الولايات المتحدة تمثل حوالي 10% من الناتج المحلي الإجمالي لمصر، إلا أنه فى عام 2008 أصبحت هذه المساعدات تمثل 1% فقط من الناتج المحلي الإجمالي لمصر.

الآن بالطبع نحن نواجه التحدي لضمان وصول بركات التجارة والتوسع الإقتصادي وأنتشاره ليصل لقاعدة أعرض من الشعب حتى يستفيد كل عضو فى المجتمع من هذه الإصلاحات.

لقد ساهمت المشاركة المصرية الأمريكية فى بناء الطرق والمدارس والمستشفيات وتوفير الكهرباء والماء النظيف للشعب المصري. وأدت مشاركتنا فى التعليم الى بناء أكثر من ألفي مدرسة وتدريب آلاف من المدرسين والمساعدة فى توفير الإنترنت فى الفصول الدراسية وتطوير المكتبات على أعلى مستوى فى أكثر من 39 ألف مدرسة مصرية. ونحن ندعم أيضا مشروعات القروض المتناهية الصغر للمشروعات والأعمال الصغيرة لإعطاء الشباب المصري فرصة فى خلق مستقبل واعد.

أنا أعتقد ان مشاركتنا أظهرت نتائج واضحة ، ففي نواحي كثيرة أصبحت حياة المصريين أفضل خلال السنوات العديدة الماضية، وحتى مع تضاعف عدد السكان زادت نسبة توقع الحياة وانخفضت معدلات وفيات الأطفال وانتشر محو الأمية فى ربوع مصر.

فى نفس الوقت قامت مصر بإصلاح إقتصادها وعملت على الدخول فى الأسواق العالمية وأصبحت مصر الآن أكثر ثراءً و أكثر صحة وأفضل تعليما من اي وقت آخر فى تاريخها. وبينما ننمي مشاركتنا بما يواكب النمو الإقتصادي فى مصر نركز على التجارة أكثر من المعونة كمصدر لخلق الوظائف والرخاء للأجيال القادمة.

وتتعاون الولايات المتحدة مع مصر فى برامج تبادل تعليمي وثقافي نشطة. لقد وجدتُ أن أحد افضل الطرق لتحقيق ذلك هو برامج التبادل التعليمي والثقافي التي تدعم التفاهم بين الشعبين المصري والأمريكي. بفضل هذه البرامج أتى 250 ألف طالب من 185 دولة للدراسة فى الولايات المتحدة منذ نهاية الحرب العالمية الثانية. ولاتزال هذه البرامج تثرى التجربة التعليمية للطلاب الأمريكيين وللطلاب الذين يعودون الى بلادهم بإحساس بالتقدير وما نأمله من فهما لحقيقة الشعب الأمريكي وأيضا إحساس بأننا نتقاسم قيم هامة مشتركة من الحرية والديمقراطية.

إن أعظم عائد لهذه البرامج هو أن آلاف من خريجي التعليم العالي الأمريكي أصبحوا فى مناصب قيادية فى الأعمال أو السياسة أو الإقتصاد فى بلادهم حول العالم. لقد التقيت بالعديد من المصريين الذين درسوا فى أمريكا بعضهم كان يتمويل من الحكومة الأمريكية " كزملاء السلام" فى برامج مثل فولبرايت وايزنهاور وهمفري والجمعية المصرية للتبادل الثقافي الدولي (AFS) وكثير من البرامج الأخرى، ودرسوا فى جميع التخصصات وعلى كل المستويات فى أنحاء الولايات المتحدة. وأدت تجربتهم المشتركة فى الدراسة فى أمريكا الى إرساء روابط ثابتة من الصداقة والتفاهم معنا.

وتدعم الولايات المتحدة حاليا 25 برنامجا مختلفا من التبادل التعليمي مع مصر، منها برنامج التبادل التعليمي والدراسة ( YES ) الذي تديره جمعية AFS وهو يوفر منح كاملة لطلاب التعليم الثانوي المصري للحياة والدراسة لمدة عاما دراسيا فى الولايات المتحدة والإقامة مع عائلة أمريكية.

أرسلت هيئة فولبرايت أكثر من 5000 مصري في منح دراسية الى الولايات المتحدة منذ عام 1949 كما أتت بدارسين أمريكيين لمصر. وأنا أفتخر بكوني خريجة برنامج فولبرايت وأشهد علي قوة التبادل التعليمي فى تعزيز التفاهم المتبادل بين الشعوب وتعزيز إهتمام أكبر وفهما للعالم الذي نعيش فيه.

وتستعد هيئة فولبرايت الآن لتلقى طلبات للإلتحاق بالبرامج والمنح الطلابية، ومنها مبادرة الكليات المهنية والتي تدعمها الوكالة الأمريكية للتنمية الدولية بـ83 مليون دولار ، وهي تهدف لتطوير المهارات المهنية لبضع مئات من الطلاب المصريين في كليات صغيرة فى الولايات المتحدة وتأهيل الطلاب المصريين لفرص العمل المتنامية بسرعة فى القطاعات الفنية فى مصر. فإذا عرفتم أشخاص مهتمين بالإشتراك فى هذه البرنامج فآخر موعد للتقدم هو شهر يونيو. وسبق هذا الموعد مواعيد اخرى. وأنا أشجعكم جميعا أن تضطلعوا على الفرص المتاحة لإستكمال دراستكم بدراسات متقدمة فى الولايات المتحدة بعد التخرج سواء في تخصص مهني أو فني أو فى التدريب على الأدب أو العلوم أو الفنون. ونحن نعلن عن هذه البرامج فى صفحة StudyUSA على الفيس بوك ويمكنكم البحث عن فرص التبادل على موقعنا http://Egypt.usembassy.gov.

ستستمر برامج التبادل التعليمي فى لعب دورا هاما فى التقارب بين الثقافات بينما نتشارك فى السلام والتجارة والتعليم، وكأصدقاء معتمدين على الإحترام المتبادل سوف نظل نعتمد على هذه الفرص لإحداث حوار متبادل بين بلدينا. وأنا أثق ان الولايات المتحدة ومصر سوف تنجحان فى بناء مستقبلا أكثر سلاما ورخاء وديمقراطية مما هو عليه الآن وهو ما نتمناه جميعا.

مرة أخرى أنا أعتقد أن جامعتكم تتطلع الى مشاركات وبرامج متبادلة مع جامعات فى الولايات المتحدة. لقد وفر لنا الإنترنت جميعا فرص مبهرة للحصول على المعلومات والقدرة على الإشتراك بصورة إفتراضية فى برامج التبادل الثقافي والأكاديمي وفي الحوار. وأنا أعرف أنكم جميعا ربما تعرفون أكثر جدا مني عن قدرة الإنترنت وإمكاناته ولكنه القرن الـ21 الذي لا يصدق الذي نعيشه.

أشكركم لإعطائي الفرصة لمشاركتكم بمعلومات بسيطة عما رأيته من أساسات للعلاقة بين الولايات المتحدة ومصر خاصةَ الدراسة والتبادل التعليمي ولكني أتطلع أكثر الى سماع ملاحظاتكم أو أسئلتكم فسأترك لكم الحديث

April 2, 2009

Thank you very much. Thank you, Dr. Ebada Sarhan, for the kind introduction and thank you Mr. Khalad Azazi and Dr. Abdul Monem Al Mashat for your very kind welcome today and for inviting me to come to Future University.

Just from the very brief glimpse of this campus, I can see that the founders of this university are clearly adding a very new and, likely, a very distinguished chapter to the history of Egypt’s modern educational opportunities. And I commend them for their vision and for their efforts to provide the youth of Egypt yet another option in their pursuit of their higher educational requirements in a manner that will contribute the growth and development of this large and wonderful country that you live in.

This is, in fact, the first time I’ve spoken with a group of students from a private university in Egypt, but I have tried to go out of my way in the almost a year that I’ve been here to reach out to students to other public universities and other fora because I really do believe that the dialogue that we have among and between countries needs to take place at a variety of levels. I think for a foreign guest in your country it is extremely useful and valuable to be able to have a dialogue with the youth of Egypt, and it is something I very much look forward to and I know that our opportunity to exchange thoughts today will certainly enrich my own understanding of Egypt.

I thought that I would speak for a few minutes about the bilateral relationship – the U.S. - Egyptian relationship – but I do look forward to your questions and to your comments because I think that’s where this meeting today will have its greatest value.

One of the chief goals, maybe the primary goal, of the U.S. Mission in Egypt is to strengthen the bilateral relations between the U.S. and Egypt, and I would like to focus my remarks today on this relationship and our partnership in peace, trade, and educational exchanges.

For over three decades, the United States and Egypt have been proud partners to strengthen peace in the region. Together, we have worked to help the Palestinians and Israelis agree on a just and lasting solution to their conflict and Egypt’s role, as we see today, is very vital, very valued and very necessary to the pursuit of peace. We have just marked a 30-year anniversary of the Egypt-Israeli peace and, regardless of one’s views on the current state of affairs; I don’t think that anyone who will look at the 20th century will not continue to mark that peace. It’s one of the most courageous and promising acts of statesmen in the 20th century. And I think that Egypt still stands in the forefront of the search for peace, for which the United States remains extremely supportive, and we continue to seek Egypt’s input and leadership in these issues.

President Obama has committed himself to a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Obama from his very first days in office has made clear his commitment to the resolution of the Israeli-Arab conflict based on a self-sustaining and continuous Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel, and I know Egyptian-American cooperation towards this goal will continue.

Egypt has taken important steps over the years in opening its society through its press, including independent newspapers and television stations. They engage in serious political debate – enriched by sources of outspoken Egyptians all across the media route – from bloggers to the press to television, radio and Egyptian civil society, which includes countless NGOs and other civic groups, which provide Egyptian citizens with opportunities to address the problems facing Egypt and to help shape your country’s political future.

My country knows very well that the path to democracy and political participation is not easy. Only in my lifetime did the United States guarantee all citizens the right to vote. Our laws, institutions, and the people who make them are imperfect. But America’s founders had a vision of what an ideal government could be—a government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is the people who move institutions closer to the ideal that suits a country’s unique history and culture.

I think this fact is being played out very dramatically in the United States where for the first time, an African American, Barack Obama, was elected president of the United States. I cannot tell you what a huge and dramatic change this is for Americans. It was simply not imaginable during my childhood that we would witness such a development. I think every American is proud of this moment in our own democracy.

President Obama also faces great challenges, including the world financial crisis, an overburdened healthcare system in the U.S., wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a global climate crisis, but Americans are hopeful that his administration can work together with international partners to find solutions to all these challenges.

The U.S.-Egyptian relationship is based on the friendship and respect between two peoples. The basis of our relationship is formed by the achievements and the activities that Americans and Egyptians have partnered in together over many years. And we have worked together and made achievements in peace, as we have discussed, and also in economic development and trade.

When peace takes hold, people think about how to create a more prosperous future through sustainable economic growth, based on free economies and free trade. Here, too, our partnership has been very solid. Over the past three decades, the American people have invested over 58 billion dollars in economic and military assistance to support Egyptians’ own efforts to build and secure a brighter future.

Trade is now the most important aspect of U.S.-Egyptian economic relations. Since 2002, private U.S. direct investments in Egypt have nearly doubled to $6 billion. Between 2003-2008, the total bilateral trade grew by 124%. During the same period, the total Egyptian exports to the U.S. grew by over 100%, and textile related exports grew by 64%.

Between 1976 and 2008, the U.S. disbursed more than $60 billion in economic and military assistance to Egypt, the largest amount of development aid given to any country in the world by the United States. Between 1985 and 2008, the United States and Egypt conducted bilateral trade amounting to more than $96 billion. So we have seen that in the last 20 years, U.S.-Egyptian trade has now become the more important factor in our economic relationship.

The result of a decision by the U.S. Congress to extend the privileges of Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) to Egypt, and Egypt’s decision to take advantage of this opportunity, has also very much improved the resulting growth of exports and sales to the United States. Over 100,000 Egyptian workers work in factories located within the Qualified Industrial Zones. In 2007, QIZ exports increased by 10% to more than $689 million worth of goods to the U.S. from these factories. This is a 300% increase in textile exports to the U.S. in the last two or three years.

As Egypt’s economy has grown and flourished in the past 30 years,the role that international donor organizations play in Egypt has naturally diminished. In 1980, the U.S. economic and military assistance represented approximately 10% of Egypt’s GDP. However, in 2008, this assistance amounts to just about 1% of Egypt’s GDP.

We now face the challenge, of course, of ensuring that the blessings of trade and economic expansion spread more broadly so that all members of society have a stake in -- and benefit from -- these reforms.

Egyptian-American partnerships have built roads, schools, and hospitals, provided electricity and clean water to the Egyptian people, and our partnerships for education have built over 2,000 schools, trained thousands of teachers, helped bring the Internet to the classroom, and delivered high quality libraries to Egypt’s nearly 39,000 schools. We also support microfinance projects for entrepreneurs and small businesses to give Egyptian youth opportunities for rewarding futures.

Our partnerships, I believe, have produced clear results. In many ways, life for the Egyptian people have improved over the last several years. Even as the population has doubled, life expectancy has grown, infant mortality rates have plummeted, and literacy has spread throughout Egypt.

At the same time Egypt reformed its economy and worked to integrate itself into global markets. Egypt is now a richer, healthier, and better-educated place than it has ever been before in its history. And as we expand our partnership to catch up to Egypt’s economic growth, we are focusing more on trade than aid, as sources of jobs and prosperity for future generations.

The United States cooperates in vigorous educational and cultural exchange programs with Egypt. I have found that one of the most effective ways to achieve this is through educational and cultural exchanges which promote understanding between Egyptians and Americans.

These exchange programs have brought 250, 000 students from 185 countries to study in the United States since the end of World War II. These programs continue to enrich American students’ educational experience and return foreign students to their countries with both an appreciation and, we hope, an understanding of who Americans really are, as well as the sense that we share important values of freedom and democracy.

The greatest impact of these programs are the thousands of alumni of U.S. higher education, many in positions of prominence in business, political and educational leadership around the world. I have met many Egyptians who have studied in America, sometimes with U.S. Government funding as "Peace Fellows," as Fulbrighters, Eisenhower, Humphrey Fellows, American Field Service alumni, and beneficiaries of many other programs. They have studied in all disciplines and at all levels across the U.S. Their common experience of studying in America has established enduring bonds of friendship and understanding with us.

The United States currently supports at least 25 different programs of educational exchange with Egypt, including the Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) facilitated by the American Field Service (AFS), which provides Egyptian secondary students full scholarships for an academic year of living and studying in the U.S. living with a U.S. family.

The Fulbright Commission has sent over 5,000 Egyptians on scholarship programs to the United States since 1949, and has also brought American scholars to Egypt. I am honored myself to be an alumna of the Fulbright program, and can attest to the power of educational exchanges in the strengthening of mutual understanding between peoples in promoting greater interest and understanding the world that we live in.

The Fulbright Commission is now receiving applications for candidates for all of student and scholar programs, including the Community College Initiative, a 38 million dollar program funded by USAID, which is developing the vocational skills of several hundred Egyptian students in community colleges across the U.S., and is preparing Egyptians for the rapidly-growing employment opportunities in the technical sectors in Egypt. So if you know anyone who is interested the deadline is in June. Other deadlines are earlier. I encourage you all to look into the opportunities to continue your education with advanced studies in the U.S. after your graduation, whether it is of a vocational or technical interest or training in literature, sciences or the arts. We post these programs on the StudyUS – Egypt Facebook page on the internet and you can also look for exchange opportunities on our website at http://egypt.usembassy.gov

Educational exchanges will continue to play a key role in bringing cultures together as we are engaged in peace, trade, and education and as friends grounded in mutual respect, we all depend upon these opportunities for mutual dialogue in our two countries. And I am confident that the United States and Egypt will succeed in building an even more peaceful and prosperous and democratic future that we all desire.

Again, I believe that your university is reaching out for partnerships and programs with universities in the United States. The internet itself has given us all incredible access to information and the ability to participate in a virtual manner in exchanges and cultural and academic exchange and dialogue. And I know you are all probably far more familiar with the powers and the abilities of the internet than I am, but it is an incredible 21st century that we live in.

Thank you for giving me an opportunity to share with you a little bit of how I have seen the building blocks of the U.S.-Egyptian relationship in terms of trade, in terms of educational exchange and in terms of our joint search for peace. I know there are many, many other topics I could have talked about, but I really look forward to your observations or questions and I turn the floor over to you.

Moderator: Thank you very much.

Moderator: Thank you very much for this wonderful presentation about the U.S.-Egyptian relations. It’s a wonderful survey and we are also looking for the future of the U.S.-Egyptian relations, which we are very confident that it’s going into the right way especially under Mr. Obama’s administration. Now the floor is open for questions and we call people to ask questions.

Question: Please, in your opinion, what are the main problems now facing Egyptians to achieve greater progress?

Ambassador: I think Egypt is like many, many, many countries in a continuing process of renewal and development. As I referred to in my remarks, in the last 30 years alone Egypt has been able to make enormous progress in establishing an infrastructure, both the physical infrastructure and a regulatory infrastructure that promotes economic growth and development. One of the things we believe is most true is that when citizens are free to make their own choices, they make good choices for themselves overall. And I think that by freeing up businesses to private sector it encourages risk- taking and it encourages people to make investments for the long term. I think one of the challenges, and this is primarily things I have heard from Egyptians themselves, is that we acknowledge Egypt has made a lot of progress, all the indices of human development have been improved but there still remains a challenge, I think, for how do you move the progress that has been made in the overall economy to assure that each of Egypt’s citizens has access to a higher quality of life? And I know that is a matter of great concern to your government. One of the areas that I’m very interested in is the whole issue of education. Egypt’s population growth is something that is higher than desirable in terms of being able to provide citizens with their educational needs, and I think the challenge of assuring a quality education to every young Egyptian is going to continue to be a challenge, one where the United States hopes to be a partner, because I know there are many initiatives underway within Egypt to improve public education as well as private education options for students.

Moderator: All right. Another question?

Question: Your Excellency, first on behalf of the Future University Economic Staff I would like to express our deep appreciation for your presence today. Regarding the G20 meetings that are taking place now, one of the major issues raised on top of the agenda is the restructuring of the global financial system. My question is: Does this mean that the U.S. will not be able to maintain its supremacy in the dollar as the most dominant currency or will there be a shift from “laissez faire” capitalism toward social market economy? Thank you.

Ambassador: Are you a graduate student in economics?

This is a hard question for me to answer because I’m not an economist. What I can share with you is how the United States is looking out for the future. As we clearly are all aware, the United States and the world is facing a major economic recession, which in the United States is manifesting itself in our financial markets, in our housing markets and concerns about unemployment. The G20 discussions are an opportunity for some of the larger world economies to begin to come together to try to find a way forward. I think there will be differences of priorities, but I think what President Obama has made very clear is that the United States intends to work internationally to do this. I mean, he will obviously pursue policies that we perceive to be in the United States long term interests, but these policies are not unilaterally to be determined by the United States. So I don’t think I have a very good answer to predict the future role of the U.S. dollar, but I think, your point about “laissez faire” vs. regulation, I think, is a very important question that we are all grappling with right now. We are grappling with this domestically as to whether or not the United States had in place a sufficiently strong regulatory structure for our own internal institutions. I think that dialogue is much broader now because, clearly, other countries want a say in what the standards of international supervision are going to be. So I think, yes, we’re undoubtedly going to see more regulation, but from the United States’ point of view, we do not want regulation to strangle the incentives for risk taking and private sector innovation. So there’s a lot of work to be done and I’m not sure that any of us have the exact solution of how this is going to come out.

Question: Hi. My name is Haithem Mohamed and I study in the Faculty of Dentistry. I want to ask you how the United States and the American government will work with the new Government of Israel and its right government, and especially with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and its refusal for the option of the two states. Thanks.

Ambassador: What I will tell you, or reiterate, of course, is the United States and Israel enjoy a very long friendship and a very solid relationship, and the U.S. will continue to work very, very closely with Israel as we have for many, many years. What I can also say is the United States has made clear what its view is of what direction we need to be going in, and that is for a two-state solution, and the President and the Secretary of State have both made very clear that is a U.S. priority and that we intend to work for that very, very aggressively. Senator George Mitchell, who is the President’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, has been asked to do everything he can to get the parties to be moving quickly toward a two-state solution. So I won’t speak for any other government in the region, but that is what the United States believes.

Question: My name is Ayoub Hamed. I’m a student of the Faculty of Dentistry, first year. Honorable Ambassador, how do you view the American stance during the Bush Administration in countries where governments lack public support? For it was clear that they prefer government’s loyalty to people’s gratitude, which I think, had greatly enforced people’s sense of repression which eventually had been manifested in forms of terrorism. Honorable Ambassador, do you think that the Obama Administration might take a different approach for a better solution for democracy? Thank you.

Ambassador: There are many assumptions that I would probably disagree with in your comment about the previous administration, but as most Americans, we look forward, and I think that President Obama in his inaugural address to the American people made clear that he intended to approach international relations around the world with a particular focus, I think, on the Middle East. As he said, he has two main objectives: He will pursue American interests, and he will do so based on mutual interests and mutual respect. And I think he has begun his time as our president trying to review a number of policies, as any new president will do. He has taken some measures to change some practices that were taking place in the United States with regard to detention of individuals that we have had concerns about involved with terrorism and he is trying to work very, very broadly with the international community to assure that the United States is as effective as possible. I would say that for any country, foreign policy decisions are difficult to make. One makes them on one’s own interest, of course, but in reality and in respect for others, people’s interest as well, but they are not in a popularity contest. So I think there will be issues, of course, where we may respectfully disagree, but I do know that President Obama has made very clear his intention to approach his relations with the world, as I said, with mutual interest and mutual respect.

Question: My name is Sameh from the Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine. Do you expect a war between America and Iran?

Ambassador: Again, as you know, the United States has reached out a hand, most recently in a presidential statement on the occasion of the Persian New Year, Nowruz. He reached out a hand to the Iranian people, and the Secretary and the President have all made very clear that we intend to pursue a diplomatic solution to the existing disagreements with us. This is not a case of United States versus Iran. It is a case where a broad section of the international community has raised concerns about Iranian intentions with regard to acquiring nuclear weapons, as well as support for groups that are using violence in pursuit of their goals. So it is not about the U.S. versus Iran. It is about finding effective, diplomatic, peaceful solutions to these problems. No American president ever removes options, but we are looking at diplomatic solutions working with our friends and allies in the region, and in Europe, to address these matters and, as I said, President Obama has reached out his hand. He said, “Our hand is open and, hopefully, fists on the other side will unclench and we can move forward in a more productive manner.”

Question: I’m in Political Science, first year major. Such a great honor to have you. President Obama promised to pull out troops out of Iraq. What is the American government’s next plan for Iraq? And I actually have another Question: Do you agree with that as Arabs, that we must involve Gaza although the Israeli army is seeking Gazan economic sanctions? Thank you.

Ambassador: With regard to Iraq, I think we are no longer at a situation of what is the American plan for Iraq. We have truly migrated to a situation where the question is “What is the Iraqi plan for Iraq?” What we have observed over the last two years is a very steady movement in the direction of far greater confidence and ability of Iraqi people elected political leaders to find ways to bridge their differences and to move forward. They have moved very, very strongly to be able to confront those from all sides in their society who would use violence to try to derail political processes. The recent elections in January were, I think, very good evidence of this. These were elections in which the Iraqi security forces provided security, not foreign forces. They had a very good turn out and the Iraqi people surprised people with their choices. And I think that is a very, very good sign for the future. As you know the United States and the state of Iraq entered into agreements, binding international agreements, with regard to the future of the U.S. military presence in Iraq, but also with regard to the future of the U.S.-Iraqi relationship, listing all the many areas where hope to cooperate even more, primarily in the area of trade, of educational support, and economic development. So, we look forward to a very long term and constructive relationship with the state of Iraq. We have moved, as I said, past the point where it’s our plans that are at issue. It’s now Iraqi plans.

I’m not sure I understood the entire second question, but I can just mention to you one thing about Gaza. As you know, it was a very, very difficult several weeks. From the beginning, the United States took the position of trying to support efforts of an immediate and durable ceasefire. And we commend the enormous Egyptian effort toward that goal. We still believe that this particular piece of the Palestinian-Israeli equation would benefit enormously from a durable ceasefire and that means, among many things, that the two critical elements are obviously rocket firing from Gaza on Israel should stop, and on the other side, border crossings from Israel into Gaza should be open for legitimate goods so that the Gazan people can have access to everything that they need for a normal life. So, we are continuing both to support the government of Egypt’s efforts to find a ceasefire, as well as our own efforts to provide humanitarian assistance with the other elements of the parties to achieve this goal.

Question: I’m from the Faculty of Political Science, junior year. With regard to the exclusive relations between the United States and Egypt, have there been instances when the United States administration attempted pressure to certain policies against the Egyptian government to take certain decisions?

Ambassador: I would say no, because I don’t know anything about that. But, look, the United States and Egyptian relationship is marked by mutual respect. Egypt has been a sovereign state and government for 5,000 years. And I think that the language of pressure is, I think, not quite the right language to use. The Government of Egypt frequently will convey to us its views on matters, and we will frequently convey our views to the Government of Egypt on different issues. We do not always agree, but I think, one of the hallmarks of a strong partnership is when you can talk about issues about which you may not agree, but it’s important that both sides understand the positions of the other. And so, I can’t think of a single instance when the Government of Egypt has taken an action that was contrary to the interests of Egypt based on any other country’s opinions.

Question: Hi. My name is (inaudible) from the Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine. I have a question about the equivalency program. Now, I know that the rules and regulations and policies for the equivalency program from dentistry and medicine over to the United States. My question is under the new Administration, has President Obama, did he put anything in his agenda to alter these rules and regulations at least for the next six years?

Ambassador: On the equivalency for licensing?

Question: for licensing and for work and for the American Board, and so on…. Is he going to change any of the policies and regulations?

Ambassador: It certainly has not been an element of his initial agenda, and, I think, for the most part, U.S. licensing agreements or licensing standards are implemented at the state level, according to national professional standards. So the U.S. federal government more often than not recognizes licensing that is based on professional standards developed within the United States. It is not as though there is a Ministry of Health that says this is what the standard should be. They’re developed by the professions themselves. If that is entirely wrong, someone here can tell me. But that has always been my understanding. So it has rarely been a matter of the federal government to intervene in things such as that.

Question: Hello. My name is Ahmed (inaudible). I’m from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science. My question is regarding the USAID program. Recently the U.S. Government put some restrictions on the Egyptian Government regarding the programs. My QUESTION is: Will USAID after this decision be more interested in funding private entrepreneurs for example, charitable projects and, like, environment-friendly projects?

Ambassador: Thank you. There’s a little misunderstanding, just to sort of set the record straight. In 2008, the U.S. Congress – not the Administration – the U.S. Congress placed language in the Appropriations Spending bill that put conditions on the expenditure of assistance to Egypt in three areas. It also gave the President through the Secretary of State the right to waive and to say “no, we would not do that.” The Bush Administration never supported the conditions and, in fact, tried to persuade the Congress not to do it. And as soon as the law was passed with the conditions, Secretary of State Rice told Congress she was exercising her right to waive those conditions.

In 2009, the law that just passed a couple of weeks ago, there are no conditions. That conditionality language doesn’t exist today and it was never actually imposed because it was waived by the Secretary of State for 2008.

We are looking forward hopefully; we are in discussions with the Government of Egypt. It has always been a bilateral program and I am very hopeful that we will be able to continue to work on mutually agreed-upon areas to support the needs of the Egyptian people in health, education and other areas. With regard to the U.S. Government and the private sector, we have provided support, primarily technical support, and some cash transfer support to the government to support economic reform actions that they may have taken. But the ESF program itself has never directly invested in private companies’ investments. We have done a lot over the past 30 years to support the private sector, but in a very macroeconomic sense. For 20-plus years we had something called the “Commodity Import Program” that allowed the private sector in Egypt to have access to foreign currency to be able to import items from the United States that helped build up the private sector here. That program is no longer in existence but it was very important. The only sort of private sector direct engagement we have is through the microfinance programs, which are very, very small loans administered through civil society organizations to help. As I said, these are very small loans that help people at the bottom of the Egyptian private sector.

Question: Your Excellency, it is an honor to have you here today. I’m from the Faculty of Political Science. You have answered half of my question. It was “What is President Obama’s intention for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq? And what are the plans for Afghanistan? Thank you.

Ambassador: Thank you. As I said, the President is conducting a review of many of the issues, challenges to the United States in the global front. We are just now seeing the Secretary of State, I think it was just yesterday was in the Hague, The Netherlands, with an international meeting to talk about what we can all do to support Afghanistan. The President is working with his military advisors on ideas about putting additional troops into Afghanistan to help sustain and support the Afghan government’s measures. Let’s not forget that the real issues here are the activities of Al Qaeda through some of their surrogates, and that really needs to be the focus of this. Not only are they a threat to the United States and the rest of the world, but they have been devastating in their effect on local communities in Afghanistan, and in some cases, Pakistan. So I think that’s the focus. As you mentioned, he already has announced our intent to actually accelerate the reduction or the bringing down of U.S. combat troops in Iraq in August of 2010. Thereafter, there will be some troops there for training and support, but then those will leave in 2011.

Question: Hi. My name is Noha. I’m from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science. My question is will the financial crisis affect the subsidies and grants given to third world countries?

Ambassador: The U.S. budget is definitely under enormous pressure. But I believe that President Obama has asked Congress to sustain and possibly increase, I’d have to get the exact budget numbers. I don’t have them. But I’m not aware of any effort on our part to retreat from our intention to be supportive of countries both in humanitarian needs as well as developing needs but I don’t have the exact numbers.

Moderator: Thank you very much.

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