Envoy: U.S. sway low in Cairo politics

WASHINGTON, June 16 (UPI) -- Washington has little say in who will become the next president of Egypt, a former Middle East adviser to Washington said.

Gamal Helal, who served as a policy adviser to Middle East coordinator Dennis Ross under U.S. President Bill Clinton, told the Egyptian daily newspaper al-Masry al-Youm that Washington is interested more in political stability than the leadership in Cairo.

"Anybody who thinks the U.S. has influenced who would rule Egypt is mistaken," he added.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak assumed office in 1981 following the assassination of Anwar Sadat.

Mohammad ElBaradei returned to Cairo in February after leaving his position as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency lending to speculation he may challenge Mubarak in 2011 elections.

The diplomat told CNN International during his April trip to the United States that the presidency wasn't his primary goal.

"My primary goal is to see my country, Egypt, a country where I grew up, making a genuine shift toward democracy," ElBaradei said.