Stu's visit to Egypt.
09/19/01
Hey there,
The US Ambassador here held a town meeting that was extremely
reassuring.
The ambassador here is a very well spoken man. He seems
very trustworthy and
direct. His security advisor was also there and there was
much Q&A.
Basically we learned that the Egyptian Government is very
cooperative and
supportive of security efforts. They are vigilant in their
fight against
terrorism, being past victims themselves, and don't seem to have
an ounce of
anti-American sentiment. We also learned that there is no
credible or
specific threat to any Americans in Egypt. Evacuation
isn't even on their
radar screen. They have stepped up security and
intelligence operations and
will continue to monitor the situation.
The meeting actually started to drag. Maybe my boredom was
a good sign? It
was a huge crowd and many people were able to voice their fears
and
frustrations. Therapeutic really.
My camping/dive trip is still on for next weekend. Then
Alexandria the next
weekend, and Mt Sinai the next.
I heard the same rumor about the 22nd, but have not heard any
credible
information about it. It is only natural to have rumors
following an event
like last week. At the same time, the ambassador said that
all rumors are
being followed up and the correct information is being
shared. (remember all
of the bomb threats following Columbine?)
Anyway, I hope time allows all of us to heal. Mourning is
no fun, but it is
normal and healthy.