Frank G. Wisner: Difference between revisions

'''Frank George Wisner II''' (born July 2, 1938) is an American businessman and former diplomat. He is the son of CIA official [[Frank Wisner]] (1909–1965). On January 31, 2011, he was sent to Egypt by President [[Barack Obama]] to negotiate a resolution to the [[2011 Egyptian protests|popular protests]] against the regime that have swept the country.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2011/jan/31/egypt-protests-live-updates |title=Egypt protests – Monday 31 January |work=The Guardian |date=January 31, 2011 }}</ref> A White House spokesman said that Wisner had vast experience in the region as well as close relationships with many Egyptians in and out of government. The New York Times reports that he is a personal friend of Egyptian president [[Hosni Mubarak]].<ref>{{cite news |url=httphttps://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/world/middleeast/02transition.html |title=Obama Urges Mubarak Not to Run Again |newspaper=New York Times |date=February 1, 2011 }}</ref> Speaking on the BBC on February 5, 2011, he exceeded statements issued by the White House to date and insisted that President Mubarak should be allowed to remain in office despite widespread calls for him to step down.

In early 2011, the Obama administration asked Wisner to carry views to Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, including advice that Mubarak should resign to defuse the crisis.{{vague|date=October 2015}}<ref>{{Cite news |title=Frank Wisner, the Diplomat Sent to Prod Mubarak |first=Sjeryl Gay| last= Stolberg |date=February 2, 2011 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=httphttps://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/world/middleeast/03wisner.html?_r=1 |accessdate=2011-05-11}}</ref> Wisner was unsuccessful in convincing Mubarak to do so. Four days later, after a day in which Mubarak allies took violent reprisal against democracy activists, Wisner spoke to a security conference in Europe and called it "crucial" that Mubarak stay on in the interest of "stability". The State Department immediately disavowed his comments and said Wisner had not been serving as an envoy but as a conduit for certain administration views.<ref>{{cite web |url=httphttps://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/world/middleeast/06egypt.html?hp |title=West Backs Gradual Egyptian Transition |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 5, 2011 }}</ref>