Blair to advise Egypt’s new president on economy

Tony Blair has agreed to advise Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who came to power in a military coup last year, as part of a programme funded by the United Arab Emirates that has promised to deliver huge “business opportunities” to those involved.

The former British prime minister and Middle East peace envoy, who supported the coup against Egypt’s elected president Mohamed Morsi, is to give Mr Sisi advice on “economic reform” in collaboration with a UAE-financed taskforce in Cairo – a decision that has been criticised by one former ally. The UAE taskforce is being run by management consultancy Strategy&, which is part of PricewaterhouseCoopers, to attract investment to Egypt’s crisis-ridden economy at a forthcoming Egypt donors’ conference.

But Mr Blair’s decision to become involved in Gulf-financed support of the Sisi regime, which is estimated to have killed more than 2,500 protesters and jailed more than 20,000 over the past year, has been attacked. A former close political associate argued that his role in advising the regime would cause “terrible damage to him, the rest of us and New Labour’s legacy”.

Mr Blair’s spokeswoman said his backing for “Egypt accessing support in the international community” was not being done “for any personal gain whatsoever”. He would make no money out of Egypt and neither would any of his organisations. “He is giving advice, he will have meetings, that’s all,” she said. Mr Blair believed that the Sisi government “should be supported in its reform agenda and he will help in any way he can, but not as part of a team”.

But it is understood that correspondence from Mr Blair’s office in support of Egypt’s economic reform and investment programme confirms that lucrative “business opportunities”, in both Egypt and the Gulf, are expected for those taking part.

– (Guardian service)