In D.C. visit, Egypt’s el-Sissi to test ‘chemistry’ with Trump

CAIRO — Making his first official visit to Washington, Abdel-Fattah elSissi’s meeting this week with President Donald Trump would be a significant step in the international rehabilitation of the general-turned-politician who was kept out of the Obama White House.

But, analysts caution, there may not be much more that Egypt’s president could take from Monday’s White House visit, branded as historic by pro-government media at home.

There has been no official word on the specifics of the wish list el-Sissi is taking to Washington, but expectations include more military aid, designating elSissi’s nemesis — the Muslim Brotherhood — as a terrorist group, and restoring the kind of strategic partnership Egypt enjoyed with the United States for more than 30 years.

Another issue that may arise is the Arab League’s territorial demands in exchange for peace with Israel, reaffirmed last week. El-Sissi may be in a position to help Trump push for a broad deal and gain points in Washington.

Former President Barack Obama never invited el-Sissi to the White House, allowed his administration to admonish his government over its human rights record and briefly suspended some U.S. military aid. In contrast, Trump and el-Sissi hit it off from their first encounter in September, when the Republican nominee spoke of “good chemistry” between them after a meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Meanwhile Sunday, an official said Trump’s sonin-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, is visiting Iraq with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.