Sawiris: Egypt Will Keep Good US Relations

"I will take my nap, then I will come do the interview," says Naguib Sawiris, Egypt's billionaire telecoms mogul. "My nap is sacred."

Sitting in the back of a silver sedan, his two Blackberrys buzzing non-stop, Sawiris closes his eyes for the ride.

It's just late February but the 57-year old entrepreneur has already had a hectic year, juggling back-to-back meetings across three continents, the $2 billion buyout of his stake in Egypt's Mobinil by France Telecom, plus charges of blasphemy stemming from a tweet involving a traditionally-clad Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

In an exclusive interview with CNBC, Sawiris said that Egypt has no real interest in resetting traditional diplomatic ties – despite the detention of 19 American NGO workers.

"Nobody has any interest in doing that. Unlike Syria, Egypt has never supported Iran," he said. "The U.S. needs Egypt. We are still the voice of reason in the region."

Sawiris was frank about his hopes for Egypt's presidential elections, due later this year.

"I would like to see Amr Moussa as President of Egypt. The business community likes him, young people respect him. He's a very intelligent, cultivated man. But most important, he's not closed-minded. He's a free soul."

Egypt's ruling military council has said presidential candidates must declare by early March, though no firm election schedule has been set. An Egyptian court ruled recently that the voting system used to elect the country's new parliament is unconstitutional, raising doubts over the validity of those results.

"I'm not the only one unhappy with the election outcome," said Sawiris.

The complicated electoral system baffled voters and observers alike, awarding just one third of seats in the parliament to individual candidates, with the remaining two thirds allocated for political parties. Islamists now hold a majority of those seats, keeping the sizable number of liberals marginalized.

"People said they wanted to see an end to the Mubarak dictatorship. Well, we are now in another dictatorship. This parliament has just one voice. Nobody is happy with the outcome."

Sawiris, a Coptic Christian, founded the secular Free Egyptians Party in mid-2011. The party's pro-business agenda is in keeping with Sawiris's image. It supports a free market economy, big projects in national development and loans for young entrepreneurs.

Sawiris's higher profile has also brought him hundreds of thousands of new followers on Twitter. A broadcast from his twitter account showing an image of Mickey and Minnie Mouse in traditional Islamic garb recently landed him in trouble with authorities. He has now been charged in an Egyptian court with insulting Islam.

"I regret it. All my friends are Muslims. I would never do anything to insult them,"

he insisted. "I apologized again and again. I don't agree with people who criticize religions."

The court is expected to announce a decision in March. Despite the fracas, Sawiris maintains he's in Egypt to stay and “will never leave.”