PenceBlog: Impressions of Egypt - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence : 6th District Of Indiana

EGYPT: As we fly on a C-130 out of Cairo, Egypt, my mind is filled with the sights and sounds of this ancient nation by the Nile River. Our day began with the sound of morning prayers that echoed off the river from which the baby Moses was drawn and resounded through the endless, sand-colored high-rise buildings that dominate this landscape.

But for the 4,500 year-old pyramids that stand sentry at the edge of the city, Cairo is a modern metropolis set in the harsh climate and realities of life on the fertile crescent.

Our official visit took us to meetings with a variety of ministers and generals associated with the government of President Mubarak. The president himself was not available to receive us since next Wednesday Egypt will hold the first national election in its history.

As many with whom we spoke insisted, the progress of democratic reforms in this one-ruler, one-party nation are in large measure due to the leadership the United States has provided in recent years.

We began our formal meetings by being received by the new ambassador to Egypt for Israel, Ambassador Shalom Cohen. While there is much work to be done and expected from Egypt in its relationship with Israel, the ambassador assured us that new and meaningful changes were occurring in the relationship between the two nations.

At present, Egypt receives more U.S. foreign aid than any other nation except Israel. Many of the military leaders with whom we met were well aware of my efforts in Congress to shift a portion of our military aid for Egypt to the much more urgent area of economic development and they made their case for continued aid with respectful candor.

For our part, in meetings with Egyptian leaders, I emphasized the critical role that Egypt will play in achieving long-term peace in the Middle East and the acceptance of constitutional governance in Iraq.

Since time immemorial, Egypt has been the leading nation in the Arab world and times have not changed. I said, again and again, if Egypt wants an even stronger relationship with the American people, it can achieve that by supporting peace in the Middle East, condemning terrorism and promoting democratic and economic reforms for its own people.

As we now make our way to CENTCOM in Qatar to begin a whirlwind tour of Operation Iraqi Freedom, I leave Egypt with a sense of the profound privilege of being able to represent the United States of America in meetings with the leaders of foreign nations and to be a voice for the values of the people of our country to a wider world. I also am left with the humbling gratitude of a small-town guy who grew up on Haw Creek, having the privilege of carrying that message to the banks of the Nile River.

Rep. Mike Pence

posted by Pence Press Office # 12:29 PM