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EGYPT/FOREIGN POLICYBack
[Published: Tuesday August 28 2012]

 New Egypt leader steps out on world stage seeking "balance"

Cairo, 28 Aug - (ANA) -  Egypt's new Islamist president said yesterday he would pursue a "balanced" foreign policy, reassuring Israel its peace treaty was safe, hinting at a new approach to Iran and calling on Bashar al-Assad's allies to help lever the Syrian leader out. Mohamed Mursi, who was elected in June and consolidated his power this month by dismissing top military leaders, is seeking to introduce himself to a wider world ahead of a trip to Iran - the first by an Egyptian leader in three decades - and China. "Egypt is now a civilian state ... a national, democratic, constitutional, modern state," he told Reuters in his first interview with an international news organisation since taking office as the candidate of the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood. "International relations between all states are open and the basis for all relations is balance. We are not against anyone but we are for achieving our interests," said the U.S.-educated engineer, appearing confident and assertive in the marble-lined presidential palace. The first leader Egyptians have elected in a 5,000-year history dating back to the pharaohs, he spoke in a room for visiting dignitaries surrounded by monarchy-era furniture, oil paintings and a grand tapestry on the wall. Mursi, 61, came to power after the fall of Hosni Mubarak, who served for decades as a loyal U.S. ally and the guarantor of Egypt's status as the first Arab country to make peace with Israel. His emphasis on balance suggests he is seeking a less explicitly pro-American role in the region, but he has also been at pains to reassure traditional allies. (ANA)
FA/ANA/28 August 2012--------
 

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