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Egypt's New Leader Spells Out Terms for U.S.-Arab Ties
(New York Times) David D. Kirkpatrick and Steven Erlanger - On the eve of his first trip to the U.S. as Egypt's new Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi sought in an interview with the New York Times to introduce himself to the American public and to revise the terms of relations between his country and the U.S. He said it was up to Washington to repair relations with the Arab world. If Washington is asking Egypt to honor its treaty with Israel, he said, Washington should also live up to its own Camp David commitment to Palestinian self-rule. He said the U.S. must respect the Arab world's history and culture, even when that conflicts with Western values. He suggested that Egypt would not be hostile to the West, but would not be as compliant as Mr. Mubarak. He initially sought to meet with President Obama at the White House during his visit this week, but he received a cool reception, aides to both presidents said.