Israelis to bear Sharon's policies
Egypt-Israel, Politics, 2/3/2001

Egypt's Presidential Political Adviser Osama Al-Baz said that the Israeli people will bear the brunt of Likud Leader Ariel Sharon's suicidal policies in case he wins the upcoming elections and sustains his policies.

In a symposium held on the sidelines of the 33rd Cairo International Book Fair Thursday night, Baz said that Egypt deals with institutions and standing policies not with persons.

Israel is represented by its government, he said. But he also said that if Sharon maintains his ideas made clear during his election campaign in case he wins the February 6 elections, the Israeli people and other peoples will be the major losers.

He warned that if Israel shows negative policies and ideas, Egypt would react accordingly and if it opts for peace, Egypt will also react accordingly.

Al-Baz believed that there could be co-existence with Israel in the region once Israel promised to be, and complied with being a state with limited borders and vowed that it would not expand at the expense of the Arab countries.

He also said that Israel had to liquidate its nuclear arsenal. Al-Baz called on the upcoming government to add to the achievements of peace. He also warned of the old destructive ideas that would make Israel lose much.

On the probability that Tel-Aviv bomb the High Dam, he that said Israel knows that Egypt has a sufficient deterrent force. "The High Dam has a protective umbrella that safeguards it from fire," he ascertained.

He urged changing the Arab political discourse to expose the realities of Israeli policy, aggressions, and injustice.

"The Arab world do not want to harm the Jews, a message that the Arab politicians and the mass media should make also clear," he added.

On the recent Lockerbie case ruling, Al-Baz said what is important is that the judgment can be subject to appeal.

He was hopeful that a new court look into the appeal because the proofs, upon the power which Libyan secret agent Abdel Baaset Al-Megrahi was convicted, were weak. Answering a query on the possibility of an Israeli-Arab world, Dr. Baz said that the war was unwarranted if progress could be achieved without it.

And on whether there were Arab pressure cards that could be used against Israel, Baz referred to the decision of summoning the Egyptian Ambassador in Tel-Aviv. The decision shocked Israel, he said.

"The Arabs have the chance to press Israel on the power of the recent pan-Arab and Islamic summits resolutions," he said.

The Israeli parties, including the right-wing Likud party, agree now that there is no way to object the foundation of a Palestinian state. They only want to receive benefits in trade for accepting such a state, he added.

Baz believed peace will prevail in the region this year except for Sharon who may become involved in certain adventures if he wins the Israel elections.

He reviewed the problems of the Jews in Europe and said that our main objection is on the Israeli practices that undermine the rights of Arabs and not on the Jews themselves.

Al-Baz said the Palestinian Intifada made Israel import more commodities than its exports.

Unemployment hit 8.1 percent and the deficit of the trade balance reached $ 26 billion, he added. Baz also referred to the decline seen in the Israel tourism industry.

On the challenges confronted by Egypt at present, Baz said that developing education and reducing unemployment topped these challenges.

Each and every Egyptian had to join the world of information technology (IT) and cope with the international technological changes, he said.

He believed that Egypt was qualified for the target. On democracy, Baz pointed out that our democracy-bound march was not bad.

"Democracy is growning day by day with the increase of awareness and political participation," Baz said.

"Globalization imposes world and regional challenges on the peoples," he said, and the modernization of Egypt should take into account the changes taking place in the world.

"We should not be afraid of the Israeli cultural invasion at all because the Arab culture is stronger, more profound and distinguished and it is based on a well-established civilization," said Baz.

The Israeli culture, on the contrary, is still in the making, he noted. Also, the Jewish culture has not bloomed except within the Islamic culture.

"The assumption that the capitalist system would survive for good was superficial because all indicators showed that nothing stayed intact for long," he noted.

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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