US in Secret Talks With Egypt’s Military Rulers on Israeli Peace Treaty

Mohamed ElBaradei suspects there are secret talks, which would be characteristic of US meddling in Egyptian affairs

by John Glaser, December 27, 2011

The United States is engaged in secret talks with Egypt’s military rulers in order to ensure the newly elected Islamic leadership remains faithful to Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel, according to top Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei.

Some in the U.S. and Israel have expressed concern that the elections putting the Islamist parties in power may cause Egyptian policy to reflect the will of the Egyptian people and prompt a withdrawal from the treaty. But the Muslim Brotherhood and the Al Nour Party have dismissed these concerns.

ElBaradei, the former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, appeared on Iran’s Fars news outlet and claimed the U.S. had been talking with Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to ensure the treaty with Israel was maintained.

“The negotiations were completely secret and confidential,” he said, adding that the ruling military said “that the talks were about bilateral and mutual relations, but I believe that Americans wanted to ensure that the deals signed between Egypt and Israel will remain intact if Islamists ascend to power.”

If true, this would not be uncharacteristic of U.S. policy. After decades of propping up former dictator Hosni Mubarak, the U.S. has meddled with Egypt’s leadership ever since the revolution. First, U.S. pressure tried to get Mubarak’s Vice President Omar Suleiman to replace Mubarak as their favored dictator. Following that, money and weapons have been consistently sent to SCAF as they’ve solidified their undemocratic rule and continued brutal repression of reform-minded protesters.

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