Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi told reporters in
Brussels
that
Egypt
would
not allow attacks on foreign embassies, but he stopped short of condemning the
invasion of embassy grounds two days earlier.
Both Mr. Morsi and U.S. President Barack Obama are struggling to contain
escalating diplomatic tensions in the face of rising public outrage at home.
The comments by Mr. Morsi, who was in
Brussels
as
part of a two-day European tour to attract much-needed investment to
Egypt
, came
a day after U.S. President Barack Obama appeared to diminish
America
's
relationship with
Egypt
. He
told a Spanish-language news channel that he doesn't consider
Egypt
"an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy."
Egypt
's
ousted government was a strong supporting pillar for
U.S.
foreign policy in the
Middle East
since the 1980s, when it
began receiving $1.3 billion a year in
U.S.
military aid.
The embassy attacks are the latest test for how
America
can
adapt its foreign policy to the new, more populist political whims left by the
so-called "Arab Spring" of pro-democracy revolutions.
Protesters across the Muslim world were infuriated by an American-made film
trailer that appears to portray the Prophet Mohamed as a lascivious fraud. Attacks
on the
U.S.
consulate in
Benghazi
,
Libya
, left
four American diplomats dead, including a
U.S.
ambassador.
Though it was unclear Thursday whether the embassy spat will be a lasting stain
on the U.S.-Egypt relationship, the need to satisfy domestic audiences has
already elevated the conflict.
In a phone call between Presidents Morsi and Obama Thursday, Mr. 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," according to the U.S. embassy in Cairo.
Mr. Morsi pledged to "honor its obligation to ensure the safety of
American personnel." Though Mr. Morsi reportedly enjoys sky-high approval
ratings after less than three months in office, he still faces considerable
pressure to prove to the international community that he can act as a
stabilizing force in his own volatile backyard.
Both presidents are navigating treacherous territory. For Mr. Morsi, the
confrontations in front of the U.S. embassy are an opportunity to demonstrate a
robust, independent foreign policy to an Egyptian public that craves a
departure from Egypt's more Western-oriented past policy.
For Mr. Obama, the embassy attacks, which spread Thursday morning to a third
U.S.
mission in Sana'a,
Yemen
, have
grown into a potentially damaging election issue less than two months before
the presidential vote.
Faced with a barrage of criticism from supporters of Republican Presidential
candidate Gov. Mitt Romney, Mr. Obama is striving not to appear weak.
The Egypt-U.S. relationship has survived worse.
America
continued distributing military aid to the North African country even after
Egyptian prosecutors charged seven Americans, including the son of a cabinet
secretary, with violating the country's highly restrictive law on
non-governmental organizations early this year.
But unlike the NGO dispute, both sides now appear to understand the political
pressures facing the other, despite the mild uptick in diplomatic rancor.
"We see Obama's remarks within the context of the
U.S.
presidential elections," said Gehad Al Haddad, an adviser to Mr. Morsi's
former political party, the Muslim Brotherhood-backed Freedom and Justice
Party. "We hope that this remark is limited to its contextual time and
events in order for us to start rebuilding this relationship again."
Yet in deference to angry Islamists at home, the Brotherhood on Wednesday
called for "peaceful vigils" at major mosques across the country
following Friday prayers. It was unclear Thursday whether the Brotherhood would
deliberately organize its legions of supporters into a massive protest.
Mr. Morsi has traveled the world over the past two months soliciting
investments and aid from potential donor nations and international financial
institutions. His visit to
Brussels
is
part of a two-day European tour meant to drum up much-needed interest from
potential investors.
Some of the heavy diplomatic lifting appears to be left to Khairat Al Shater,
the Muslim Brotherhood's deputy leader and chief financier. In an opinion piece
distributed to English-language newspapers, Mr. Shater said the breach of the
U.S.
embassy in
Cairo
was
illegal and should be investigated.
Meanwhile, the violent standoff between police and protesters continued
Thursday outside the U.S. Embassy in
Egypt
,
where police fired tear gas and used truncheons to beat back hundreds of mostly
youthful demonstrators.
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mso-fareast-language:EL;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA'>Bulgaria
has
pledged to join the Russia-backed South Stream gas pipeline project, which will
bring Russian gas to
Europe
under the
Black
Sea
, bypassing row-prone
Ukraine
.
A final investment decision for the Bulgarian stretch of the 3,600-kilometre
(2,200-mile) pipeline was expected to be taken by November with construction
planned to start in early 2013.
In November 2010, the state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding and
Russia
's gas
giant Gazprom OAO (OGZPY) already set up a 50-50 joint venture to plan, build
and operate the link.
Bulgaria
,
which is totally dependent on
Russia
for
its gas, has tried in the past to use its participation in South Stream as a
bargaining chip for lower delivery prices from Gazprom.
The government has however always denied any link between the gas deal and the
Belene project.