		Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 24 - 30 December 1998 Issue No.409
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Current issue \| Previous issue \| Site map

Mubarak urges restraint

A FEW HOURS before the end of the US-British strikes President Hosni Mubarak sent President Bill Clinton a message calling on the US to "immediately halt all actions against Iraq" and adding that the attacks were "seriously harming the Iraqi people and the region."

Mubarak also spoke by telephone with Clinton as well as with French President Jacques Chirac and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright last Thursday, shortly after the commencement of the strikes. Mubarak advised Clinton to show "self-restraint" and urged him to "contain the situation to avoid further deterioration and instability in the region."

On the same day Mubarak issued a statement expressing "regret" at developments "since the withdrawal of the UNSCOM team from Iraq." He called for "effective action by all concerned parties to contain the situation, to protect our brothers the Iraqi people and maintain stability in the region." Earlier, he chaired a meeting of cabinet members to discuss the crisis.

In his statement, Mubarak also emphasised Egypt's position that "peaceful means should be sought to resolve the crisis in order to avoid the consequences of the use of force." He also renewed his call on Iraq to adhere to international law and to implement Security Council resolutions for the sake of the Iraqi people.