U.S Chargé d'Affaires in Cairo said security warnings ‘inaccurate’: MP

CAIRO – 7 August 2017: Thomas H. Goldberger, Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, described the latest travel warning text as inaccurate, Member of Parliament Dalia Youssef told Egypt Today in statements Monday.

“He affirmed to us the warning text issued July 2017 wasn’t written in an accurate way, especially after reviewing the first two paragraphs of the warning with him,” said Youssef. She added that the warning included descriptions completely incorrect, such as “terrorist and violent political opposition groups”, explaining that there is no terrorist or armed opposition groups in Egypt.

Early Monday, a number of parliament members, including Osama Hekal, Tarek Al Khouly, Dalia Youssef and Amna Nousier, met with Goldberger to discuss the latest warning issued by the embassy.

In an official statement issued minutes following the meeting, Al Khouly affirmed that Goldberger told them the latest warning “didn’t use the right words and terms describing what is happening.”

“He [Goldberger] promised to deliver the parliamentarian message and ‘upset’ regarding these security warnings to the American administration, as it affects the American-Egyptian relations negatively,” according to the statement.

“Goldberger told me that there was not any kind of coordination between the American administration and any Egyptian entity before issuing the security warnings,” Youssef said, adding that he [Goldberger] promised them that it won’t happen again.

However, “I told him that we wish not to witness any further security warnings regarding Egypt, not just to coordinate before issuing it,” Youssef told Egypt Today.

The relations between President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and his American counterpart Donald Trump can be described as “very good”. Both countries have a lot of common interests that make them allies in many issues, especially regarding countering terrorism, Youssef said. She added that the whole parliamentarian delegation told Goldberger during their meeting that the security warning “was not justified or even needed.”

On July 19, the American embassy in Egypt issued a statement warning U.S. citizens from traveling to Egypt “due to threats from terrorist and violent political opposition groups”. “A number of terrorist groups, including ISIS, have committed multiple deadly attacks in Egypt, targeting government officials and security forces, public venues, tourist sites, civil aviation and other modes of public transportation, and a diplomatic facility,” the U.S. warning statement read.

“The war we are countering in North Sinai and near the borders is not related to the tourist sites or public transportation, and this affects one of our main economic sources,” Youssef said.