LONDON, May 12 (UPI) -- Opposition leaders in Egypt reacted adversely to a scheduled visit to Cairo and speech to the Muslim world by U.S. President Barack Obama in June.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is scheduled to visit Washington on May 26. Obama, meanwhile, plans a major speech during a visit to Cairo on June 4.
Mohamed Habib, a deputy leader in the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, said the visit and expected speech by Obama serves no purpose other than grandstanding, the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reports.
"The U.S. administration employs all cards to serve its own interests," he said. "Statements and speeches must be associated with or preceded by real change in policy on the ground because policy is judged by deeds, not words."
Obama emphasized a renewed sense of engagement with world leaders when he took office in January.
"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect," Obama said in his inaugural address.
But critics say Cairo, considered an authoritarian regime by some, is the wrong venue for Obama to push a message of reconciliation and reform.
