Westminster Egypt Delegation Press Release

7/27/2019 Westminster Egypt Delegation Press Release

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October 4, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Egypt and US National Security - Report from the Ground

From September 27th to 30th, the Westminster Institute sponsored a delegation to Cairo to meet

with key governmental, civic and religious leaders.

The delegation was led by Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo, Chairman of the Board of the Westminster

Institute, and retired Major General Paul Vallely, US Army. Other members included Tera Dahl,

Westminster Institute, Dr. Sebastian Gorka of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies,

retired Colonel Ken Allard PhD, former Dean of the National War College, retired Lt. Colonel

Rick Francona, military analyst with CNN, retired Lt. Colonel Bill Cowan and KT McFarland,

both with FOX News, and Scott Taylor, former Navy SEAL.

Egypt is a key strategic partner of the United States and the most populous of the Arab nations.

Its stability and prosperity are a primary concern for Americans. However, the violence in Syria

as well as the budget crisis in the United States, have pushed Egypt to the sidelines at a crucial

time in its own history. This lack of attention is being exploited by extremists who wish to regain

control of this ancient nation. Still fragile from its recent overthrow of the Mubarak regime,

Egypt is struggling with a severe downturn in its economy, a rise in violence, and an influx of

foreign terrorists and weapons into the Sinai as a result of the fighting in Syria. The delegations

visit was driven by the conviction that America must not turn its back on Cairo since the loss ofEgypt would be a major victory for Al Qaeda and its allies.

The members of the delegation met with the President of the new Constitutional Committee of

50, His ExcellencyAmr Moussa; with His Holiness, Pope Tawadros II, Head of the Coptic

Christian Church; General Abdel Fattah el Sisi, Commander of the Egyptian Armed Forces and

Minster of Defense; local businessmen, and leaders from Tamarod (Rebellion) the movement

whose collection of 22 million signatures led to the recent removal of the Muslim Brotherhood-

led government of Mohammad Morsi.

The key point of contention over Egypt today is the interpretation of the events of the summer.Did the ouster of Morsi constitute a coup or a revolution? Among those with whom the

delegation met there was compelling unanimity that the Muslim Brotherhood government had

thoroughly betrayed the peoples expectations for democratic rule and were serving solely their

own narrow interests.

While it is true that the Muslim Brotherhood had been freely elected after Mubarak left office, in

the twelve months that Morsi was President it became clear that his administration did not

represent the people of Egypt but instead the religiously fundamentalist and undemocratic


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objectives of the Brotherhood. When Morsi issued a presidential decree that gave him unlimited

powers - which could not be reviewed by any judiciary Tamarod, a new civil movement, called

the people to the streets, and Egyptians responded in the millions.

By April of this year 22 million signatures had been collected calling for Morsis resignation and

new elections, but the President refused to recognize his loss of legitimacy. By the end of June,

millions of Egyptians were on the streets again. The military, fearing a civil war, asked Morsi to

call a new election, but again Morsi refused. As a result, General Sisi publicly asked the people

of Egypt to come out once more as a sign of whether the government should go.

Eventually 33 million citizens took to the street, more than one third of the population, with a

clear message: Morsi and his administration no longer represented the people of Egypt. Morsi

was removed and his government replaced not by a military junta but by a civilian interim

government of technocrats, which is today in power and which has invited representatives from

across society - including the Brotherhood - to participate in drafting a new constitution. The MB

has boycotted this body.

Members of the Westminster delegation were told that the new constitution would include an

impeachment mechanism, since it was the absence of such a recall option that necessitated

Morsis removal with the support of the armed forces.

Key findings of the delegation are as follows:

The events of July 2013 should not been seen as a coup, but as a result of the loss of popular mandateby the Brotherhood and the absence of an impeachment process.

The interim government has the support of the majority of the Egyptian people and is thereforelegitimate.

The security of the United States and her citizens is intrinsically linked to the stability of Egypt. As aresult of the events in Libya and the war in Syria, weapons and jihadists have penetrated into Egyptthrough the Sinai. If these groups are not neutralized then we may lose the biggest Arab state in theworld, a state that has been a close ally of the US since the Camp David Accords.

One of the foundations of the U.S./Egypt relationship is the military partnership. Since the CampDavid Accords, Egypt has been modernizing its military and relying more heavily on the United States.Today, less than half of Egypts armed forces hardware is Soviet-pattern weaponry, but its reliance onMoscow and other non-American suppliers may rapidly increase unless Washington lifts its embargo onU.S. military aid and equipment.

US-Egyptian relations must not be held hostage to a false narrative that speaks of military coup andsees the Muslim Brotherhood as just another political organization. The MB is, and always has been,

committed to establishing exclusively Muslim regimes which deny the rights of minorities, especiallyJews and Christians, and is defined at its core by its hatred of America and the West.

Egypt needs Americas help to stabilize the country, defeat the jihadis and build a free Egypt. Theeconomy is in dire straits since the main source of income, tourism, has ground to a halt as a result ofmisrepresentation of the truth on the ground.

Members of the delegation are available for press interviews.

Please contact the Westminster Institute at [email protected] or 1 703-336-7776.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Members of the delegation meet withH.E. Amr Moussa of the Constitutional Council (lt.) Meeting with His Holiness Pope Tawadros II

(2nd from rt.)

The heads of the Delegation meet with GEN Sisi(Lt to rt: MG Vallely, Dr Sookhdeo, GEN Sisi)

Members of the Delegation at their Washington pressconference Sep 3. (Rt to lt: MG Vallely, Dr Gorka,COL Allard, LTC Francona) See the video at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqppsDaYrBQ&feature=youtu.be

Members of the Delegation with youth activists and members ofTamarod
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqppsDaYrBQ&feature=youtu.behttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqppsDaYrBQ&feature=youtu.behttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqppsDaYrBQ&feature=youtu.behttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqppsDaYrBQ&feature=youtu.be

Documents

Westminster Egypt Delegation Press Release