Standoff in Egypt Intensifies: A Talk with GA State Sen. Jason Carter about His Observation Trip

O’Hayer: Last month, the Supreme Constitutional Court in Egypt ruled that about a third of the Parliament had been illegally elected, so the generals ordered Parliament disbanded, and now, today, Parliament met anyway on an order from President Morsi, and now, the Supreme Constitutional Court has ruled against his order, putting Parliament back together. So the ante’s being raised here. How worried are you that things are escalating toward a possible either violent confrontation or even worse, a complete breakdown there?

Carter: Well, as you point out, this situation has been changing on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. When we arrived for the second round of the presidential elections, the day we got there was the day that the Parliament was dissolved. And then, two days later, the Egyptians went to the polls to vote for the president. So all of that election, all of this process has sort of been beset with uncertainty. And really, that lack of clarity is troubling on some level, but also, the Egyptian people have really  demonstrated their commitment to democracy, and I don’t think there’s any way there’s going to be backtracking on that regard.

O’Hayer: Is it your impression based on the sense you got from people there that President Morsi, who is an Islamist, has popular support in the bid to put Parliament back together? Can he stand up to the military?

Carter: Morsi doesn’t have an Islamist mandate, but he does have a democratic mandate. And I think you have a group of people who don’t want to see the military run the government. And the question will be, “Can Morsi keep his democratic supporters together knowing that he has secular people in his coalition?” And that’s going to be the real negotiation for Morsi, is trying to make sure that he keeps the democratic aspect of his coalition together without alienating the secularists.

O’Hayer: Is there a sense that we in the U.S., in trying to sort through Egypt’s role in a new Middle East, really don’t know right now who’s in charge or what to do? And doesn’t that complicate Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit there, which is coming up on Saturday?

Carter: It is undeniably a fluid situation in Egypt now, but as outsiders, I think, you know, the United States, whether it’s the United States government, observers like the Carter Center, we all have to recognize that ultimately, these decisions are going to be made by the Egyptian people, by the Egyptian legal system, and under Egyptian law.  And those processes are going to have to play out. Our interference or outside interference is not going to be helpful at the end of the day. So to some extent we have to maintain our own interests and look to those things, but ultimately, these things, these decisions, and these very fundamental aspects of what a new democratic Egypt is going to look like, those decisions have to be made by the Egyptian people.

O’Hayer: Your grandfather, former President Carter, knows President Morsi. Has he gotten any sense as to what Morsi’s attitude toward the United States and the agreements that your grandfather helped negotiate with Israel, what those attitudes might be?

Carter: Well, right after Morsi was declared the winner, I talked to him on the telephone and carried a message from my grandfather. And you know, the most important things that my grandfather believes and I think has some faith that Morsi understands, are that Morsi has to convince the international community that he will respect human rights, including the rights of women, that’s the biggest concern that we have with respect to the Islamist government that we may be facing. And the other thing is that they’ll respect international treaties. And my understanding from my conversations is that they absolutely will and that they intend to make that point clear. And I think the Muslim Brotherhood and President Morsi know that this is their chance to really prove that they can govern a country like Egypt. And if they start to fall down on their obligations, I’m confident that the Egyptian people will vote them out.

O’Hayer: Atlanta Democratic State Senator Jason Carter was recently in Egypt as part of the Carter Center delegation, watching the presidential election there. Senator Carter, thanks very much for being with us, and we’ll keep track of this with you. We appreciate it.

Carter: Thank you.