Washington/Cairo - The Obama Administration is engaged in talks regarding
an exit-strategy for unpopular dictator Hosni Mubarak. Eyes are on newly
appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman as the new ruler of a 'transitional
government'. The proposal would have Suleiman seize power in the country
with the support of Egypt’s military. He has been the leader of
Egypt’s Intelligence Directorate (EGIS) for decades, and has close ties to the
military. He is appreciated
for his ardent anti-Islamism and willingness to act tough about Iran. Suleiman is a favorite of Israel too; he held the
'Israel Dossier' and directed Egypt’s efforts to crush Hamas.
Suleiman
is the CIA's man in Cairo and Egypt's torturer-in chief. The Egyptian-born Australian citizen Mamdouh
Habib and Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi were tortured by Suleiman himself. Under torture, al-Libi
'confessed' knowledge about an al-Qaeda – Saddam connection. In early 2003, this was exactly the kind of information that the
US Bush administration was seeking to justify attacking Iraq and to persuade reluctant allies to go along. Indeed, al-Libi’s
'confession' was one the central pieces of 'evidence' presented at the United Nations by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell to make the case for war.
As people in Egypt and around the world speculate about the fate of the Mubarak regime, one thing should be very clear: Omar Suleiman is not the man to bring democracy to the country. His hands are too
dirty.
