(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Egypt's new president Mohamed Morsi urged the United States late on Saturday to change its approach to the Arab world to be able to repair relations and revitalise an alliance with Egypt.
Morsi will travel to New York on Sunday to take part in a meeting of the UN General Assembly.
"Successive American administrations essentially purchased with American taxpayer money the dislike, if not the hatred, of the peoples of the region," the president told The New York Times in an interview.
According to the paper, he was referring to US backing of dictatorial governments in the region and Washington's unconditional support for Israel.
The remarks followed days of violent anti-American protests in Cairo sparked by an amateur anti-Islamic film posted on YouTube.
During these events Morsi called on demonstrators to show restraint while condemning the film ridiculing the Prophet Mohammed.
But he also expressed concern about the plight of Palestinians, who still don't have their own state, the paper said.
Americans, he pointed out, 'have a special responsibility' for the Palestinians because the United States had signed the 1978 Camp David accord, which called for Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza to allow for full Palestinian self-rule.
"As long as peace and justice are not fulfilled for the Palestinians, then the treaty remains unfulfilled," he said.
In his interview, Morsi also reaffirmed his links to the Muslim Brotherhood, a religious organization viewed by many in the United States with suspicion.
"I grew up with the Muslim Brotherhood," the president said. "I learned my principles in the Muslim Brotherhood. I learned how to love my country with the Muslim Brotherhood. I learned politics with the Brotherhood. I was a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood."
He also pointed out that the United States should not expect Egypt to live by its rules as the West, underscoring a cultural divide between the two nations.
"If you want to judge the performance of the Egyptian people by the standards of German or Chinese or American culture, then there is no room for judgment," he said.
"When the Egyptians decide something, probably it is not appropriate for the US. When the Americans decide something, this, of course, is not appropriate for Egypt."
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Morsi will travel to New York on Sunday to take part in a meeting of the UN General Assembly.
"Successive American administrations essentially purchased with American taxpayer money the dislike, if not the hatred, of the peoples of the region," the president told The New York Times in an interview.
According to the paper, he was referring to US backing of dictatorial governments in the region and Washington's unconditional support for Israel.
The remarks followed days of violent anti-American protests in Cairo sparked by an amateur anti-Islamic film posted on YouTube.
During these events Morsi called on demonstrators to show restraint while condemning the film ridiculing the Prophet Mohammed.
But he also expressed concern about the plight of Palestinians, who still don't have their own state, the paper said.
Americans, he pointed out, 'have a special responsibility' for the Palestinians because the United States had signed the 1978 Camp David accord, which called for Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza to allow for full Palestinian self-rule.
"As long as peace and justice are not fulfilled for the Palestinians, then the treaty remains unfulfilled," he said.
In his interview, Morsi also reaffirmed his links to the Muslim Brotherhood, a religious organization viewed by many in the United States with suspicion.
"I grew up with the Muslim Brotherhood," the president said. "I learned my principles in the Muslim Brotherhood. I learned how to love my country with the Muslim Brotherhood. I learned politics with the Brotherhood. I was a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood."
He also pointed out that the United States should not expect Egypt to live by its rules as the West, underscoring a cultural divide between the two nations.
"If you want to judge the performance of the Egyptian people by the standards of German or Chinese or American culture, then there is no room for judgment," he said.
"When the Egyptians decide something, probably it is not appropriate for the US. When the Americans decide something, this, of course, is not appropriate for Egypt."
/129