Egyptian soldiers stand guard in front of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. (Nasser Nasser/AP)
President Barack Obama says he will decide whether Egypt is an ally or an enemy of the United States in part according to the way the fledgling government in Cairo responds to the violent assault on the American Embassy there on Monday.
"Certainly in this situation what we're going to expect is that they are responsive to our insistence that our embassy is protected, our personnel is protected," Obama said. "And if they take actions that indicate they're not taking responsibilities, as all other countries do where we have embassies, I think that's going to be a real big problem."
The president—his handling of the so-called "Arab Spring" under fresh scrutiny after attacks on American diplomatic posts in Egypt, Libya and Yemen—had been asked by Telemundo whether he sees Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's government as an ally.
"I don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy. They're a new government that is trying to find its way," Obama replied in what, by the standards of diplomatic talk, amounted to a blunt warning.
this is a leader not the one on a leash.
Obama and Morsi spoke by telephone on Wednesday "to review the strategic relationship" between the two countries "and our ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral economic and security cooperation," the White House said in a statement. On Thursday, the Egyptian leader condemned the assault on the American facility."Given recent events, and consistent with our interest in a relationship based on mutual interests and mutual respect, President Obama underscored the importance of Egypt following through on its commitment to cooperate with the United States in securing U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel," the White House said.
what will the republicans say to this?
