President Mubarak outlines repercussions of Iraq war
Egypt-Iraq, Politics, 4/14/2003

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak yesterday met with the leadership of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) to discuss the war in Iraq and its consequences in the Middle East.

Egypt said: Following the meeting, Secretary-General of the NDP and Information Minister Safwat el-Sherif explained that recent developments in Iraq have implications at party and political levels, necessitating the modernisation of the party, greater coordination between the party and other national institutions, and a larger role for young people in party activities.

The President spoke about the war in Iraq, and dispelled rumours about Egypt's alleged role in the conflict, stressing that Egypt is committed to peace, and that he had repeatedly warned the Iraqi government about the danger of impending war, el-Sherif reported.

The Iraqi regime's response was that they had six million fighters, which the President said meant little in an age when advanced technology would be a decisive factor in contemporary warfare, el-Sherif said.

The President mentioned that he had reminded the Baghdad regime of the lessons of 1991, and how the situation had arisen in the first place, and that he warned Iraq to cooperate with the UN and abide by international law, the Information Minister said.

President Mubarak mentioned that the Iraqi government had expressed gratitude for Egypt's support at the last Arab League meeting, el-Sherif said.

"Even in 1991, when Egypt was a member of the coalition forces, not a single aircraft attacked Iraq from Egyptian territory, and not one Egyptian soldier set foot in Iraq. There are no foreign military bases in Egypt, and there never will be," President Mubarak told the NDP meeting.

As for the Arab-Israeli conflict, the President responded to criticisms over Suez Canal and how it was open to Israeli shipping, saying that Egypt had no choice in this matter because international treaties ratified by the UN prevent Egypt from any move in this regard, el-Sherif said.

"It was this way of thinking that drew Egypt into the 1967 War, when criticism was directed at us for cutting off the Israeli port of Eilat," the President said, adding that he makes decisions to serve the best interests of the Egyptian people.

"I have the interests of 70 million people to look after, and I shall not jeopardise them for anybody else.

"People always want Egypt to make self-sacrifices, and when we are forced to fight, nobody comes to our aid," President Mubarak said, pointing out that the decisions he took were always meticulously studied, based on consultations and reports.

The Information Minister added that government in Egypt was based on institutions whose legitimacy and authority were based on the Constitution, and that decisions were based on democracy, popular participation and consultation.

As for the situation in Iraq, now that the Saddam Hussein regime had collapsed, President Mubarak said the priority was the restoration of law and order, and that this was the responsibility of the coalition forces. If they did not carry out this task, civil war could ensue.

The war was still not over, while the UN had to play a key role in humanitarian relief, the President said.

As for criticisms directed at the Arab League for its so-called failure to avert the war, the President said: "We should not be so harsh since the UN and EU had failed.

We have to maintain the Arab League, to modernise it and make it more effective. The same hold true for the UN.

Previous Stories:
  Maher sees faint flicker of hope in Iraq   (4/12/2003)
  Freezing activity of Iraqi embassy in Cairo, Mubarak meets Saudi FM   (4/11/2003)
  Mubarak: Iraqis should take over own government 'as soon as possible'   (4/10/2003)

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