CAIRO: Gamal Mubarak s trip to Washington today has politicians and analysts speculating about the motives and significance for Egyptian-American relations of the President s son s two-day visit to the United States. In his first visit to the United States since 2006, Mubarak will be meeting several congressmen and US officials while attending discussions at research institutions including the Council on Foreign Relations and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). According to NDP officials, of whom Mubarak is the assistant secretary-general, Mubarak was invited by financial firm J.P. Morgan to attend discussions about the impact of the global financial crisis on developing countries. This visit signifies a change in Egyptian-American relations, even if it was not precipitated by an official invitation, said Emad Gad, political analyst in the international relations unit of the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. The timing of the visit cannot be disregarded, said Gad. Mubarak s visit follows the release of one-time presidential candidate Ayman Nour from jail, amid talks of the first official visit by President Hosni Mubarak to the United States in four years. They say it s not political, but I say no, it is, he said, adding that Mubarak will be in a position to meet with key players in American foreign policy. On a similar note, Hamdy Hassan, a Muslim Brotherhood representative in the People's Assembly, said Mubarak's visit can be seen as "an attempt to reconnect with the United States and improve Egypt s image and Egyptian-American relations, particularly since issues of democracy, transparency and human rights have placed a strain on Egyptian-American relations in the last four years. Mubarak, like any official in the NDP, has a right to visit Washington, but one should not overlook the fact that he is "the most likely heir to the Egyptian presidency, said Hassan. "It is not an innocent visit. Moreover, Hassan was alarmed that Mubarak was going to the United States without a delegation, because "policy is not led by individuals. This leads to more doubts and speculations, he said. However, Gad said that a delegation would imply official talks, whereas Mubarak was invited as an individual. On the other hand, Mohamed Kwaitah, NDP member of the People's Assembly, does not think Mubarak will engage in discussions other than those for which he was invited. "He has announced that he's going based on a particular invitation from a particular institution to discuss the impact of the financial crisis on developing nations, said Kwaitah. Nevertheless, Kwaitah agrees that the visit is a good sign for Egyptian American relations, particularly since President Barack Obama has indicated a willingness to change American foreign policy in the Middle East. "There is a change from both sides, the American and the Egyptian, added Gad. Gamal Mubarak's last visit to the United States in 2006, in which Mubarak met with national security advisor Stephen Hadley, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and was briefly greeted by President George W. Bush raised questions about Egypt's political future and was largely seen by analysts as an attempt to reduce tension produced by a government crackdown on demonstrations in support of judges protesting election fraud.
