Baz: Arab rights should be equal to Israeli rights

"Arab and Palestinian rights should not be placed on a level less than Israeli rights," Egyptian presidential political advisor Osama El-Baz said yesterday.

Baz, who spoke at a meeting at the Writers' Union, also addressed cultural issues, saying that Egypt is not in danger of an Israeli cultural invasion, adding that a large number of programs shown on Israeli television are Egyptian.

On the question of the coexistence of science and religion, Baz said, "There are attempts in the west at present to reconcile between science and religion," saying that there are no contradictions between science and religion.

He called for boosting Egyptian culture through educational reform. This includes the construction of more schools and an emphasis on scientific research.

"The larger the cultural area in Egypt, the larger sound democratic practice," Baz said. He urged that the economic level of the individual be raised so that he may make preferences among the parties and be able to test the credibility of their programmes.