Annual Report 2004
	President's Letter Committee Highlights AmCham Profile Events Highlights Board of Governors DoorKnock Report Committee Chairs 03-04 Committee Chairs 04-05 Operations & Services Constitution

AmCham Egypt Special Mission to Washington, D.C. - March-April, 2004

This year, AmCham Egypt’s annual DoorKnock mission to the U.S. capital took place at a time when the agenda in Washington was dominated by electoral politics; the state of the U.S. economy (especially high unemployment); and the fear that the situation in Iraq could descend into chaos, making it ever more difficult for the U.S. to extricate itself from the quagmire.

Besides the issues of Iraq and the war against terrorism, two themes preoccupied U.S. policymakers and specialists: the Bush administration’s proposed “Greater Middle East Partnership,” aimed at bringing about democracy in the Arab and Islamic worlds; and Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s proposed unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, which has been endorsed by the U.S.

While Egypt is seen by Washington as playing a constructive role in the region (vis-à-vis the war on terrorism, the Israel-Palestine peace process and Iraq reconstruction), there is also a desire to see Egypt participate – along with the U.S. – in managing the Israeli withdrawal.

Additionally, there is hope that Egypt will support the development of an effective Palestinian Authority, within the context of forward progress on the “Road Map” negotiations.

On Iraq, while there is a level of appreciation for what Egypt has done, the administration – given increasingly difficult circumstances militarily – appears to be looking for greater support from Cairo.

Since AmCham’s last visit to Washington in October 2003, prospects for immediate progress on the proposed U.S.-Egypt Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have diminished, largely due to the U.S. presidential election campaign. The Bush administration is unlikely to promote any FTAs while the president is under attack by his Democratic opponents over the issue of unemployment and the outsourcing of jobs.

Senator John Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president, meanwhile, has promised to review all existing FTAs in the first 120 days of his administration, should he be elected.

Nevertheless, there is an appreciation that Egypt is making modest progress towards economic liberalization. At least three members of Congress, as well as a number of think tanks, cited the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies’ De Soto project as a positive step for Egypt, that should be emulated elsewhere in the region.
Still, overall, AmCham delegates noted a significant shift in emphasis away from economic reform issues to a focus on political, electoral, legal, press and democratic reforms in Egypt and the Middle East in general.

Increasingly, Washington is viewing the democratization of the Arab world as a national security issue and is therefore making political reform in the region a priority.

Meetings

During six working days, the AmCham delegation held numerous meetings with US officials and policymakers, including:

• Senior foreign policy advisers to Vice President Dick Cheney

• Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs

• Undersecretary of State for Diplomacy and Public Affairs

• Undersecretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs

• Acting Assistant Administrator of USAID

• Over 30 members of the House of Representatives

• Five senators

• Assistant U.S. Trade Representative

• Senior Director for International Economic Affairs at the National Security Council

• Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs

• President of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy

• President of the Middle East Institute

• Former NSC Director General (ret.) Brent Scowcroft

In addition to these individual meetings, the AmCham delegation was honored at a reception hosted by Congressman Ron Lewis (R-KY) and attended by members of Congress and senior congressional staff, including Congressman – and chairman of the Trade Subcommittee of the House Ways & Means Committee – Phil Crane.

AmCham president Taher Helmy made two presentations to the senior staffs of four major congressional committees: the Senate finance and foreign relations committees, and the House financial services and ways and means committees. The presentation before the Senate Finance Committee was particularly well attended, drawing staffers from every senator on the committee.

Once again, the personal relationships established in visits to Egypt by some 30 congressional staffers – organized by AmCham – over the last two years proved extremely helpful in arranging meetings in Washington, and in communicating Egypt’s perspective.

Dialogue

The level of U.S. official interest in our visit was high, and the responses to our message were generally positive. Because of the Easter/Passover recess, which began on April 2, there were only a few days in which to arrange meetings with members of Congress. Nevertheless, 30 members of the House and five senators made time in their schedules to meet with the delegation.

This attention attests to the desire among Washington policymakers to hear AmCham’s perspective on the current dilemmas plaguing the region. The fact that President Hosni Mubarak was concurrently holding a meeting with President Bush during the week of April 12 contributed to an interest in Egypt’s perspective.

When members of Congress return to their home districts to campaign, they will likely face serious questions from constituents about U.S. policy in Iraq, along with the issues of terrorism and instability in the wider Middle East. Much of the American public has become wary of the region, and is confused by what they perceive as anti-American hostility.

It was, therefore, helpful for members of Congress to meet with a group from the Middle East that talked about ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship and deepen U.S. ties to the region.

• TAHER S. HELMY, President – AmCham Egypt, Partner, Helmy, Hamza & Partners (Baker & McKenzie)
• D. DAN McCARTHY, Executive Vice President – AmCham Egypt, Chairman and Managing Director, General Motors Egypt, SAE
• ANIS ACLIMANDOS, Vice President, Membership – AmCham Egypt, President, TransCentury Associates
• OMAR El DERINI, Vice President, Programs – AmCham Egypt, Chairman and Managing Director, FAOM Consult/Red Wing Int’l
• THOMAS (TOM) E. THOMASON, Vice President, Legal Affairs – AmCham Egypt, Vice President, InterGen Energy, Inc.
• HESHAM MEKAWI, Member of the Board – AmCham Egypt, Chairman, BP Egypt
• MOHAMED TAYMOUR, Member of the Board – AmCham Egypt, Chairman, EFG-Hermes Holdings
• LOULA ZAKLAMA, Member of the Board – AmCham Egypt, President and Managing Director, RadaResearch & Public Relations Co.
• HISHAM A. FAHMY, Executive Director – AmCham Egypt
• ABDEL-KHALEK AYAD, President, Cornerstone
• AHMED M. EL HAKIM, Health Policy & External Affairs Director, Pfizer Egypt and Middle East Region
• AKRAM E. FARAG, Co-Chair, Information & Communications Technology Committee – AmCham Egypt Chairman and Managing Director, Digital Systems Middle East, SAE
• AL-FAHD AL-TARZI, Project Manager, Egyptian Advisory House
• AMRO ALTAHAWI, President and CEO, Adamson Brothers
• Farid F. Naoom , Co-Chair, Transport Committee – AmCham Egypt , Owner and President, Rainbow-Cairo, Egypt
• HAMED ISMAIL FAHMY, Chair, International Donor Programs Committee – AmCham Egypt, Managing Director, Allied Corporation Egypt
• HATEM KHEIR, General Manager, Kheir Group
• HISHAM G. HELMY, Chairman, Maersk Egypt
• HUSSEIN M. LOTFY, Managing Partner and President, Speedotrans
• KARIM RAMADAN, General Manager, Microsoft Egypt
• MAGED GEORGE AMINY, Vice Chairman, Luna Cosmetics Co.
• MAHA ABOUELENEIN, Managing Director, Promoseven Weber Shandwick Public Relations
• MAHMOUD BAGNEID, President, BM-Egypt
• MOHAMED ABDALLAH, Co-Chair, Real Estate Committee – AmCham Egypt, President, Coldwell Banker Affiliates of the Middle East
• MOHAMED TAHA MOSTAFA, Treasurer, Egyptian American Bank (EAB)
• OMAR MOHANNA , Chairman, Global Protection
• SAMIR A. KHALIL, Executive Director, Policy & External Affairs, Europe Middle East & Africa, Merck & Co., USA
• SOHEIR FARAHAT, Co-Chair, Maritime Committee – AmCham Egypt, President, Ingyco Agencies
• SPENCER T. KING, President and CEO, International Executive Service Corps (IESC)
• TAREK M. AHMED SELIM, Co-Chair, Environment Committee – AmCham Egypt, Egypt Manager, Area Manager - Africa & Central Asia, Camp Dresser & McKee (CDM) Internationa, Inc.

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