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.