Ambassador Shoukry visits San Francisco

3 July 2009

Ambassador Sameh Shoukry visited San Francisco from June 22-25, 2009. This was his first visit to the State of California as Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the United States.

While he was there, Ambassador attended the opening-night gala for the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibition at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. This fascinating event, put together by National Geographic, several cultural organizations and the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, is an updated version of the popular show that has captured the imaginations of over 6 million people around the world. Over 300 celebrities and local politicians attended the gala for the exhibition, which will be open to the public until March 28, 2010. The exhibit showcases 130 objects from Egypt’s 18th dynasty, including 50 from the tomb of King Tut himself. (For further information on the exhibit, visit: http://www.tutsanfrancisco.org/).

Mr. Shoukry also spoke at the World Affairs Council of Northern California about the existing opportunities and challenges for the Egyptian-US relations amid the on-going developments in the Middle East. He referred to President Barack Obama’s recent visit to, and speech in, Cairo on June 4th as a “new beginning” between Muslims all around the world and America, one that has created an unprecedented sense of goodwill towards the United States among many Muslims and Arabs. He added that Mr. Obama’s forceful and determined commitment to the Middle East peace process and the two-state solution early on in his presidency left the Egyptian people assured of the new U.S. President’s commitment towards a peaceful and stable Middle East. Ambassador Shoukry noted that confronting the challenges facing the Middle East will depend to a great extent on America’s ability to implement the effective and significant actions contained in President Obama’s speech.

Furthermore, Ambassador Shoukry affirmed Egypt’s readiness to support U.S. efforts towards the fulfillment of the two-state solution, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. He said that though the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had plagued the region for decades he believed that its resolution must be based on the fundamental principles of the human rights of both sides. He added that the international community can not, in the 21st century, accept the occupation of one people of another, and must equally uphold everyone’s right to live in peace and security. “Compromising on these fundamentals using whatever pretexts related to political expediency disserves our shared values.

Ambassador Shoukry also spoke about the threat of proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region. He welcomed President Obama’s commitment in Prague to seek a world free of nuclear weapons and highlighted Egypt’s efforts to rid the Middle East of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

While addressing the topic of Iran’s regional ambitions and its pursuit of a nuclear program, he asserted that no country in the region should acquire nuclear weapons, but that all nations should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power as long as it complies with the rules and obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). However, “the double-standards that have been applied with regard to the nuclear state of affairs in the Middle East, and in particular the question of Israel’s nuclear capabilities and its non-accession to the NPT, must stop,” he said. For the sake of peace and stability in the region, Mr. Shoukry called on Israel to join the NPT and on Iran to cooperate fully and transparently with the IAEA. He urged all parties to work towards the establishment of a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East. The alternative, in his view, “is a tremendously dangerous nuclear arms race in the Middle East, which Egypt rejects.”

When asked about the on-going political developments in Iran, Mr. Shoukry said that Egypt was concerned about these developments, but does not wish to get involved in them. "History tells us that foreign intervention on many of these issues has not always been the best course of action," said Ambassador Shoukry. In his view, President Barack Obama is on the right track by trying to resolve differences through negotiation. "And we hope this policy of engagement will extract a more constructive policy from the Iranian regime," said Ambassador Shoukry.

Other events for Ambassador Shoukry in San Francisco included meetings with members of the Egyptian/American community in California, the leadership of the American Jewish Committee San Francisco Chapter, and the Editorial Board of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Mr. Shoukry also appeared on ABC7 and CBS5 news programs.