CAIRO — Egypt’s likely next president, retired military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, says ties with the United States will improve after elections next week, confident that a strong show of public support will prove to the Americans that Egyptians wanted the ouster of the country’s elected president.
But it will likely be a troubled road toward warming the chill between Cairo and Washington. Egypt’s security forces have waged a crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist backers of ousted President Mohammed Morsi. Asked in a recent TV interview about possible political reconciliation with the Islamist group — a goal Washington has advocated — el-Sissi said, “No.”
El-Sissi, considered certain to win presidential elections Monday and Tuesday, has made clear he wants better ties — but on his terms.
Tamara Cofman Wittes, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, described the Egyptian-U.S. relations as in a moment of reflection because the direction is not clear.
Both sides “know their relations are important. They value the cooperation … but publicly they are reluctant to engage,” Wittes said.
