Excerpts from Mubarak interview crossed out by Israeli T.V
Egypt-Israel, Politics, 1/31/2001

Al-Akhbar Newspaper said that the Israeli T.V. deliberately crossed out excerpts from Mubarak's interview to the Israeli channel II .

Following is the interview as published once more by the paper.

President Hosni Mubarak said that Egypt is keen on reaching a comprehensive, just and durable peace in the region, deploring Israeli war threats.

Mubarak was referring to the recent threats made by Israeli leaders to bomb vital Egyptian establishments, such as the High Dam.

In the interview with Israeli Channel II late Monday, Mubarak voiced deep concern over the current instability in the region and called on Israel to work out a just peace formula with the Palestinians.

He ruled out that Egypt was thinking of waging a new battle with Israel, accusing the Jewish state of war mongering.

Mubarak reaffirmed that the Egyptian army's goal was to defend Egypt and not to launch aggression against any other state.

"We are committed to sign agreements and we do not think of wars," he said.

On recalling the Egyptian Ambassador from Tel-Aviv, Mubarak said that he had taken the decision at a time the Israeli army was bombarding the Palestinians using tanks, aircraft and artillery. He made it clear that there was no balance of force between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Mubarak said that for the Egyptian Ambassador to return Israel should implement the Taba agreement and the situation should return to calm. He denied making contacts with Israel's right-wing opposition leader Areil Sharon.

The President said that he had never seen Sharon except once in his life, back in 1982. Mubarak recalled Sharon's terrible massacres committed in Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon and his hubristic statements made every now and then.

Queried about how he would deal with Sharon if he came to power in Israel, Mubarak said that he was not pre-occupied with the issue. "The Israeli people are the party that will choose who will best serve their interests," he added.

"If Sharon seeks regional stability, it will be fine, otherwise Egypt will have nothing to do with him," Mubarak said.

President Mubarak blamed the Israelis for failing to understand the "psychology" of the Arabs, adding that Arafat could not just press a button to halt the Intifada.

He reiterated his call for restoring Palestinian sovereignty over A1 Harm A1 Sharif because its return would mean peace.

"Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is capable of making peace," said Mubarak. He criticized the Israelis for waiting for a new Palestinian leader to conclude a peace agreement with them.

On reaching a Syrian-Israeli peace deal, Mubarak voiced Syrian President Bashar A1-Assad's readiness to make peace once Israel withdrew from the territories seized in 1967.

Mubarak urged the return of occupied Arab lands to the 1967 borderlines, calling on Israeli leaders to stop talking about wars and violence.

On whether he was concerned about a possible deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian territories and Arafat's loss of control, Mubarak said it all depended on the Israeli leadership, which had to consider the sensitivities of the issues raised on the table of negotiation.

He called on the Israeli leaders to be wise so that things would not get complicated any further, and to accept having Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish and Palestinian states.

He urged them not to use excessive force, which he said was the reason behind mobilizing Arab and Islamic nations against Israel.

President Mubarak charged that the Israelis were making too many mistakes in dealing with the Arab world. "Bashar A1 Assad can never give up one single inch of the occupied Syrian territories," he added. This is what Assad wants, he noted.

He stressed that the importance of Israel's withdrawal from all the Syrian lands occupied in 1967, including the Syrian controlled part of Lake Tiberias.

Asked about what should be done, Mubarak said that the Middle East peace process should be rescued and the Israeli leaders should stop talking about war.

"Why do Israelis provoke the Arab public opinion" ? he asked. He rejected that Sharon, as part of his election campaign, should speak of bombing the High Dam if Egypt sent troops to Sinai. Who did say Egypt would deploy forces in Sinai, he wanted to know.

He noted that such threats could lead to the eruption of terrorism, which was "worse than war". Mubarak called on the Israelis to allow the return of refugees.

He voiced astonishment at Israel's digging in its feet on the issue. "The Palestinians should feel free to return to their homeland even if they do not choose to," he said.

Related story: Mubarak reaffirms importance of peace for regional stability ,January 30, 2001.

Previous Stories:
  Sharon's election casts doubt over Israeli peace desire   (1/25/2001)
  Israel's belief in supremacy over Arabs, a grave mistake   (1/23/2001)
  Egypt-Israel negotiations, complete ideas, good intentions   (1/18/2001)

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