Mubarak: Arab Summit will meet on March 1st in Sharm El Sheikh
Egypt-Regional, Politics, 2/24/2003

On his way back home from Paris after his successful visit to both Germany and France, President Mubarak explained to the Chief Editors of papers and Middle East News Agency MENA the dimensions of international situation especially the European attitude towards the Iragi crisis and how to tackle it.

The president explained the reasons forcing Egypt to call for convening the urgent summit conference and dimensions of the Arab situation in the light of contacts which were made during past few days for holding urgent ordinary Arab summit.

President Mubarak said his earlier call for holding an extraordinary Arab summit has brought about a comprehensive Arab agreement to hold the summit in Sharm El Sheikh on March 1st.

Mubarak said while an international effort to prevent a possible war on Iraq was moving ahead, the Arab states as a whole made no move through their "League."

The EU, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organisation of Islamic Conference had called for meetings on Iraq, he said, and criticized the Arab states for their initial negative attitude in this respect. "Even the date of a regular Arab summit was not agreed," he added.

On his reasons for calling for an emergency Arab summit, Mubarak said in light of the strong possibility of war and attacking Iraq, it was a must that Arab leaders should meet immediately to join international effort to ward off a war.

Mubarak went on to say that with things moving without unified Arab stance to replace war with a peaceful solution, the result would be military action that would render an Arab summit after a military strike pointless.

"It would also further worsen the situation in the Arab region," Mubarak said.

"I was at a meeting with the Bahraini King and I expressed to him my concern at the Arab silence and proposed holding an emergency summit, Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa supported me and said it was an important proposal and told me that we had to declare that immediately," Mubarak said.

"It was not important at all the name of the summit whether it was ordinary or emergency or extraordinary," he added.

Mubarak said that his statements in Sharm El Sheikh were a key motivator for an Arab consensus on holding the Arab summit on march 1.

He said Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa informed him in Paris on Sunday that some 17 Arab countries would attend at a summit level.

On what was asked of the Arab summit at this crucial moment, Mubarak said "first thing, is that the Arabs agreed on holding a summit to come up with a unified stance to avert war."

He stressed the summit should come up with one Arab voice on a single goal.

Mubarak said, in this respect, he was asked by several world leaders, including German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, how come the entire world rushed to avert war, while Arab countries stood idle.

"This is a very grave situation and there are tremendous international pressures being exercised," said the President.

"I had a series of contacts with different Arab leaders and clarified to them the objective of the summit, I told them that the summit is in the interest of all parties and that we cannot keep silent and that we have to work together to avert war," said Mubarak.

Mubarak shed light on some political manoeuvres that were rife in the media nowadays.

"I can understand the motives and reasons behind such manoeuvours," he averred. Asked if the final statement issued at the end of the Arab Foreign Ministers' emergency meeting would be part of the Arab summit agenda.

Mubarak stressed "as long as the Arab Foreign Ministers meeting was to prepare for a summit on a specific subject they are not entitled to issue a statement on the same subject because forwarding the subject to the summit means it is of such importance that only leaders can have a saying about it."

On the possibilities that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein might accept to go into exile and whether Egypt was one of the places he could go to.

Mubarak asserted "we have nothing at all to do with this issue and we have no place for him."

ÊÊÊ Responding to a question that some people interpreted his visits to France and Germany as supportive of countries a US-led action against Iraq.

Mubarak stressed "we do not take side... we meet every body and exchange viewpoints with them but we do not take this one's stance and leave the other's.

ÊÊÊ The Egyptian position is firm and has been so ever since the beginning of the crisis. I have frankly made that clear to Arab leaders and officials as well as to other parties in and outside Europe."

"We freely decide our own stance in conformity with our vision. We fear No body and bow to No pressures," averred the President.

"The possibilities of peace still exist and did not yet hit a dead end.

I still believe that the chances of war and peace are equal and that is why I have called for an extraordinary or ordinary Arab summit and insisted on meeting Arab leaders," Mubarak concluded.

Previous Stories:
  Mubarak Addresses the 22nd Franco-African Summit   (2/21/2003)
  Maher: Arab summit to be convened on Feb. 28   (2/18/2003)
  Mubarak calls Arab leaders to hold extraordinary summit next week   (2/15/2003)

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