By Adam Morrow
CAIRO, Mar 12 2007 (IPS)

Cairo’s decision last month to award U.S. General John Abizaid a prestigious medal of honour has angered much of the political opposition.

The government move underscored Cairo’s “strategic relationship” with Washington in the face overwhelming public disapproval of U.S. policy in the region.

“Abizaid is despised by the Egyptian people – probably by all Arabs – for the role he played in Iraq,” Refaat al-Saeed, head of the socialist Tegemmu Party told IPS. “Honouring him in this way is like honouring (former Israeli prime ministers) Ariel Sharon or Benjamin Netanyahu.”

During a two-day visit to Cairo in mid-February, Abizaid – former head of the U.S. Central Command – was awarded Egypt’s first-class medal of merit on the occasion of his retirement.

According to the Feb. 19 edition of government daily al-Ahram, President Hosni Mubarak made the gesture “in appreciation for (Abizaid’s) efforts towards supporting Egypt-U.S. military cooperation.”

The medal was presented by defence minister Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the broadsheet noted in a small front-page article.

Abizaid, 56, played a major role in the U.S.-led military occupation of Iraq.

In July 2003, four months after the invasion of the country, Abizaid was appointed chief of the Qatar-based U.S. Central Command, responsible for U.S. military activity in 27 countries in the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Persian Gulf and southern and central Asia.

Born to a Lebanese Christian father and mother from the United States, the general reportedly speaks fluent Arabic.

Abizaid has been no stranger to Cairo in recent years. “We have an excellent military relationship with Egypt,” he said in an April 2006 interview with leftist opposition weekly al-Ahali. “I try to come to Cairo every three or four months to support and develop that relationship.”

He went on to note the “great importance” that Washington attached to its close association with Egypt, a country he described as “a military power in the region and a centre of stability in the Middle East.”

Since the 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, Abizaid has been a zealous advocate of the U.S.-led “global war on terrorism”.

In a speech last November at Harvard University, he warned that a failure to address Islamic extremism “would lead to World War III.”

Echoing earlier statements by U.S. President George W. Bush, Abizaid went on to draw a comparison between extremist Islam and World War II-era European fascism.

Given the overwhelming unpopularity of U.S. policy – particularly in Iraq – on the Egyptian street, Cairo’s decision to honour the U.S. general has drawn vigorous condemnation from the political opposition.

“We strongly oppose the decision,” Hamdi Hasan, spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood’s opposition bloc in parliament told IPS. “Abizaid never did anything for Egypt to deserve this tribute. It’s not appropriate to honour those who work for the occupation of a fellow Arab country.”

Reflecting widely reported public perceptions in the region, he said “the U.S. stands against the Arab cause and serves Zionist interests.”

Much of the secular opposition was no less critical.

The opposition weekly al-Arabi al-Nassiri published two articles that vehemently criticised the tribute to Abizaid. “The U.S. general is complicit in wars of extermination in Afghanistan and Iraq and deserves – along with the entire U.S. administration – the strongest possible condemnation,” one article said.

The paper went on to criticise Egypt’s extensive military cooperation with Washington, particularly within the context of the Iraq war.

“Egypt-U.S. military cooperation goes further than joint manoeuvres and the exchange of intelligence,” the writer of the articles noted. “It also includes opening the Suez Canal to U.S. aircraft carriers used to attack Iraq – a method likely be repeated in an upcoming attack on Iran.”

“Egypt is the only country outside the U.S. to honour Abizaid like this,” the writer said. “Even Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf – despite his close relationship with Washington – only went so far as thanking the general” during the latter’s trip to Pakistan.

Political analysts appear hard pressed to provide an explanation for Cairo’s unpopular decision.

Saad Hagras, a prominent Egyptian journalist and political analyst (who conducted the earlier al-Ahali interview) called the move “incomprehensible”, adding that “the general’s most important accomplishments have been the invasion of Iraq and the destruction of the Iraqi people.”

“Egypt has received billions of dollars in U.S. financial aid since it signed the 1979 Camp David Agreement in exchange for putting its policies at the service of the U.S.,” Hagras told IPS. “They call Egypt a ‘strategic ally’ of the U.S., but America’s only real strategic ally is Israel.”

Egypt has received more than 2 billion dollars in financial assistance annually from the U.S. since signing the pact with Israel. In return, Egypt has honoured the peace agreement and implemented a number of major economic reforms aimed at liberalising the economy.

Displeasure over U.S. policy became palpable Mar. 4 when dozens of journalists prevented the entry of a U.S. embassy spokesman into the Cairo Journalists Syndicate office to participate in a scheduled seminar.

Two days later, at a heated session of the Shura Council (the consultative chamber of parliament), the head of the council and ruling party stalwart Safwat Sherif defended Egypt’s contentious relationship with the United States.

“Egypt bears responsibilities in the region, particularly in the fight against terrorism,” Sherif was quoted as saying in the Mar. 7 edition of independent daily al-Masri al-Youm. “In this regard, Egypt is entitled to some financial aid as the national interest remains the paramount consideration.”

Despite the row, the strategic relationship appears stronger than ever.

On Mar. 6, U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Francis J. Ricciardone welcomed a proposed visit by Mubarak to Washington. The ambassador praised Egypt’s “pioneering” role in the region, saying that both Egypt and Mubarak were “well-known to the American people.”

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