Cameron sweeps into Cairo to woo new leaders

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday became the first foreign leader to visit Cairo since the fall of Hosni Mubarak, styling himself as the friend of a revolution that remains unfinished.

Cameron met Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Egypt’s de facto leader, just 10 days after long-time president Mubarak stood down in the face of an unprecedented popular uprising. He also spoke with Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, who heads a caretaker government, during a meeting that was later expanded to include Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.

Reporters travelling with Cameron from London said he also stopped for a few minutes at Tahrir Square, epicentre of the anti-Mubarak protests, where he glad-handed a teenager and passers-by shouted “very good, very good” at him.

Towards the end he spoke to a youth — identified by his older friend as Mohammed, aged 15. “He loves the new freedom,” he said, adding “Lovely jubbly. Tally ho, tally ho!

“This is a great opportunity for us to go and talk to those currently running Egypt to make sure this really is a genuine transition from military rule to civilian rule and see what friendly countries like Britain and others in Europe can do to help,” said Cameron on his flight.

He touched down in Egypt hard on the heels of US under-secretary of state for political affairs William Burns and several hours ahead of the scheduled arrival of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. The burst of diplomatic activity — even as revolts unfold elsewhere from the Gulf to the Maghreb — showed how keen the West is to ensure that friendly democracies, not hostile Islamist regimes, take root in a new Arab world.

Burns voiced profound American respect for the largely peaceful way in which Egyptians had overthrown one of Washington’s most dependable allies in the Middle East.

But he frankly acknowledged the challenges they face on the road to free and fair elections promised for September this year.

“It’s a historic transition to democracy; it’s a moment when voices, courage, sacrifice and the peaceful determination of Tahrir Square has been heard around the region and around the world,” he said.

Both Cameron and Burns said the lifting of Egypt’s draconian emergency laws — which throughout Mubarak’s regime enabled the authorities to detain anyone without charge or trial — were high on their agendas. “What is so refreshing is that this is not an Islamist revolt,” Cameron said.