Mubarak stresses no power inheritance in Egypt
Egypt, Politics, 1/3/2004

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak stressed Egypt's political system is republican and there is no power inheritance in Egypt. President Mubarak, in an interview with Cairo Radio, said that the idea of power bequeath in Egypt was a sheer rumor released by some people who chewed it up. President Mubarak said that he took over when the country was in dire conditions.

The conditions were extremely tough as there were no telephones, no water networks, no electricity, no railways or even roads. Besides, there was no money available, he said. "We embarked immediately on working in all fields simultaneously. If there were any delay, the cost of the projects achieved so far would have multiplied twenty or thirty times," said Mubarak.

Wars cost Egypt more than L.E. 100 billion when the Egyptian pound's exchange rate was higher than the sterling said Mubarak, noting that had it not been for those wars, Egypt would have become one of the most advanced countries in the region. He stressed that the freedom Egypt enjoys now was not there even before the July 1952 Revolution. There are 600 newspapers and magazines, any of which the President himself does not have the power to close down without a court ruling, he noted.

He said he does not depend only on the government as far as economic issues and decisions are concerned, but also consults with economy experts.

He emphasized that he had no time at all to think of anything personal. He said that the convulsions that gripped world affairs over 2003 had their impact on Egypt as well. Mubarak said the government was facing difficulties and was trying its best to overcome them hoping the new year would be better than the past one. Mubarak noted that he had been dedicating almost all his time to running the country's affairs and that he had not received except two months off duty since 1949. The responsibility is too heavy, but "I do physical exercise for one hour every day," he said.

Concerning women's status, Mubarak said that woman are one of the major pillars of political reforms in the country. For the first time, a woman has been appointed a judge and there are female ambassadors as well, he noted. There is no discrimination between a man and a woman at all. Only merit, not gender, that counts, he added. On the hijab issue in France, Mubarak said that the disparity in opinion between AI-Azhar and some ulema (religious scholars) is a demonstration of mercy from God. "When France applies a special law to its territories we cannot say no. Flexibility and not hard line stances should be shown here," said Mubarak.

He revealed that he was absolutely against granting children of Egyptian women married to foreigners the Egyptian nationality. "But later, I became convinced that this was a right decision, and it has solved many problems," he added. Mubarak ruled out any forthcoming summit involving him, Libya's Leader of the Revolution Colonel Muammar al Qathafi and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Blair is in Egypt on a private visit and "I have not met him until now," said Mubarak. He reiterated that rule would never be hereditary in Egypt. If this had happened in some country, it will not happen in Egypt, he said. "This is nonsense. They first spread the rumor and then believed it themselves." "The rumors popped up when my son (Gamal) joined the National Democratic party.

He entered the party with extreme difficulty and after many appeals for my approval," he remarked. Mubarak criticized the sensational style with which some satellite channels were handling issues, noting that they sparked off problems among the countries and between the peoples and their rulers. He said that he asked Prime Minister Atef Ebeid to help and support the low-income citizens and make this the main topic on his agenda for 2004.

Mubarak hoped the new year would see occupation anywhere in the world come to end, and that the richer countries would help the poorer without wielding power superiority that only brought on counter results. He emphasized that the emergence of the Arab common market remained a necessity by all means. He concluded his interview by stressing that he spared no efforts to help the citizens and that all he was seeking was to leave something good by which the people would remember him.

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