Republican Senator John McCain stressed that helping Egypt's economy serves US interests and the spread of democracy throughout the Middle East. The veteran senator and former US presidential candidate spoke to Khaled Dawoud In his third visit to Cairo since the 25 January Revolution, senior Republican member of the US Senate, John McCain, told Al-Ahram Weekly that his main goal was to help in increasing US investments and trade with Egypt in order to create more jobs and opportunities, stating that "it is in America's interest not to see a government in Egypt which is anti-American, or is maybe extreme in its policies". McCain arrived in Cairo on Saturday together with the head of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democrat John Kerry. The two former presidential candidates (in 2004 and 2008 respectively) headed a delegation of CEOs of major US companies including Boeing, Bechtel, General Electric, Marriott, Coca Cola and Daw. The delegation met with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and other top officials. They also visited Cairo's Stock Exchange, a Coca Cola factory and toured Tahrir Square, now a must on the itinerary of foreign dignitaries visiting Egypt. McCain adopted a hardline stand against both the Libyan and Syrian regimes, saying the US should have unleashed "the full weight of American air power, and [Libyan leader Muammar] Gaddafi would have been gone long ago". On Syria McCain said he was "sorry" because "I don't see a military scenario there". He called for "worldwide condemnation" of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and even his referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for "slaughtering innocent people who are simply protesting their rights". Both Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and Libya's Gaddafi have been referred to the ICC for allegedly committing crimes against humanity. In his interview with the Weekly, McCain also said that what his delegation wanted to talk about in Egypt was "how we can best provide US investment, trade, jobs and opportunities, because we are very well aware that the economy of Egypt will have the most significant impact on the future of Egypt." Senator McCain did recognise the difficulties likely to face his efforts to help Egypt given what he once described as an increasing "anti- spending sentiment" among US legislators in Congress. McCain, Kerry and Senator Joe Lieberman introduced a bill to the Foreign Relations Committee in May to provide economic aid to help the Egyptian economy after the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak. The bill was approved by the committee but may face an uphill battle in the full Senate and the House of Representatives. What he needed to do, said McCain, is to "come back [to the US] and urge our colleagues [in Congress] to act". "I understand that people in Tahrir Square stood up for democracy and freedom. But they also stood up and fought because they want economic opportunity." McCain said that despite US economic woes and what he described as "almost historic conflict between the parties, and between the House of Representatives and the president, I would argue that investment in Egypt, trade and jobs, is in the economic interest of the United States... So, that's a job we have to do, convincing the American people. And finally, I got to say, it is in America's interest not to see a government in Egypt which is anti-American, or is maybe extreme in its policies, which would be again not in the interest of the United States." McCain indicated he was in favour of reviving talks on reaching a Free Trade Agreement between Egypt and the US but did not propose any timetable. Reflecting the strong relations that continue to exist between the US government and Egypt's military establishment, which many analysts believe played an important role in securing the relatively smooth transfer of power from Mubarak to the Higher Council of the Armed Forces (HCAF) led by Field Marshal Tantawi and the Army's Chief of Staff Sami Anan, McCain told the Weekly that he believed the army was committed to handing over power to a democratically elected civilian government. "I understand from following events closely here in Egypt that there is a certain level of frustration. There hasn't been great progress, the tourism industry is very bad as we know. I understand that there are manifestations of frustration, but overall I have to give the military high marks, including their continued commitment to getting out of the business of government." Following a meeting with Tantawi on Sunday, McCain and Senator Kerry said they both received assurances that the military wanted to hand over power to a civilian government "as soon as possible" and according to the schedule announced, holding parliamentary elections in September followed by drafting a new constitution and presidential elections. Responding to a question on his long relationship with former president Mubarak, McCain said that two years before Mubarak was ousted from office he was among those "who called for free and open elections monitored by international observers, because we could see that the people of Egypt, sooner or later, will not want to sit still forever with a government that did not allow freedom of expression." McCain admitted, however, that the United States was "very pleased at the role that Mubarak played in having a peaceful environment here, particularly as far as Israel is concerned". "I hope my fellow citizens and the Europeans understand that all the countries in the region are very important. But Egypt is the heart and soul of the Arab world, and what happens in Egypt will have a great effect on what happens in the rest of the Middle East, and perhaps the world." McCain added that following Egypt's revolution he was certain that the Chinese and even the Russians "are feeling nervous". Turning to Libya, McCain was critical of the way US President Obama has conducted military operations. He said he strongly supported US military intervention because Gaddafi was slaughtering civilians in Benghazi and other Libyan cities. "My view is that we should have used the full weight of American air power, no ground troops, but the full weight of American airpower, and Gaddafi would have been gone long ago." Obama, complained McCain, declared that his policy was the removal of Gaddafi but later announced that he was leaving job to NATO. "It's an enormous strain on our seven, eight European NATO countries that are actually in the fight... I'm grateful for our allies, but I also understand that they don't have the same assets that the US does. When the president says turning over to NATO, with all due respect, the United States is NATO." McCain sharply attacked Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, but stressed that no military option was on the table to stop "the meaningless slaughter of innocent people who are simply protesting for their rights". "I think that severe sanctions should be imposed on Syria, including individual sanctions. We should give up any thought that we might have had that Bashar Al-Assad was, a 'reformer'. I would even prefer charges against Bashar in the ICC. We should be using our capabilities to encourage the Syrian people, to tell them that we are with them. But I have to honestly say, and I'm sorry I have to say it, but I don't see a military scenario." "I'm even additionally worried because of the increasing Iranian involvement in the Syrian situation." Several Western reports have accused Iran's government of aiding Al-Assad in suppressing the popular revolt against his rule, and Europeans have imposed sanctions on key figures in Iran's Revolutionary Guards for their alleged involvement. McCain concluded his interview with a message to the Egyptian people, particularly the young men and women who sparked the revolution. "The Egyptian people have the admiration, and respect and affection of the American people. What these brave people have done, led by young people, is a message not just to the Arab world, but to the world: stand up for freedom and democracy. My message, especially to the young people, is to stay involved in this process. Not only demonstrate, but be in the party building, be in the voter ID, be in the party platform, be in the part of democracy that requires hard work, door to door, kind of things that make democracy succeed or fail. Don't quit."
