Exclusive: SEE Reveals Facts about US Pompeo's Speech in Cairo

By Nawal Sayed

CAIRO, Jan. 5 (SEE) - In exclusive remarks to SEE, an official at the American Embassy in Cairo revealed that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will deliver a historic speech at the American University in Cairo (AUC) headquarters in New Cairo.

"In this speech, the Secretary will address the Arab nation and affirm the US's role in the Middle East," the official said.

Pompeo is expected to deliver his remarks in Cairo on or around Jan. 10, a State Department official told POLITICO Magazine.

The Egyptian capital was the site of then-President Barack Obama's June 2009 address to the Muslim world, in which he sought to reboot America's image in the region as the Iraq War wound down, according to the magazine.

On June 4, 2009, Obama addressed the world’s more than 1 billion Muslims from Cairo. He called for a“new beginning” in ties between Washington and the Islamic world in his speech that also tackled grievances over two U.S.-led wars and tensions over Iran.

U.S. President Barack Obama waves to the audience as he leaves the Grand Hall of Cairo University after delivering a speech in Cairo June 4, 2009. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Some Muslims welcomed Obama’s fresh tone after George W. Bush’s departure even as others expressed frustration that he failed to outline specific changes to U.S. policy.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to pay an eight-day visit to the Middle East from Jan. 8 to 15. The visit includes eight countries; Jordan, Egypt and the six Gulf States.

The Secretary’s trip to the region centers on

two main themes.  First, the United States is not leaving the Middle East.

 

"Despite reports to the contrary and false

narratives surrounding the Syria decision, we are not going anywhere.  The

Secretary will reinforce that commitment to the region and our partners,"

a US official stressed on Friday.

Second, the Iranian regime is the dangerous

actor in the region.  There is no greater threat to stability than the Iranian

regime.  

According to the official, the Secretary will

continue his work on galvanizing our regional partners and allies to counter

the regime’s destabilizing activities.

In Egypt, the Secretary will stress that Cairo is one of the US's

longest-standing, deepest and broadest partnerships in the region for over four

decades now, according to the official.

"Egypt continues to have a vital role in

contributing to regional security and stability, including through

counterterrorism efforts, supporting the UN-facilitated political process in

Libya, Middle East peace, and of course countering the Iranian regime’s

dangerous activities," he added.

The official hailed the economic growth and

prosperity under President El Sisi’s leadership. "Egypt is undertaking

many important initiatives, especially on the economic and energy fronts."

"There are also broader socioeconomic –

social issues such as President El Sisi’s efforts to advance religious

tolerance and reform religious discourse in the region", the official

stressed.