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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 February 1999 Issue No. 417 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 February 1999 Issue No. 417
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Special Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Renewing stability
By Nevine Khalil
After an extensive discussion about foreign policy a fortnight ago at the Cairo Book Fair, presidential adviser Osama El-Baz made a second appearance last Thursday, at the request of his audience, to talk about both domestic and foreign policy.
The domestic issues included the upcoming renewal of President Hosni Mubarak's 18-year tenure for a fourth term of six years, and the vacant post of vice-president. El-Baz said that at times of intense economic, political and social changes, "stability is required to keep up the momentum of the reform process." He said that a change of leadership "is not necessary" as long as the ruler is "working for the benefit of his people."
As for the vacant post of vice-president, El-Baz said that there are two conflicting positions on the issue. The first, he said, is that the appointment of a vice-president "is a factor of stability that is beneficial to society." The second is that the appointment of a vice-president "eliminates the people's right to choose" their next president, and is unnecessary because no constitutional vacuum will result from the absence of the president. "Appointing a vice-president is not a vital issue for the time being," he said, adding that even if the president chose a deputy on the basis of the current circumstances and goals, "these factors might become irrelevant by the time he took over."
Moving on to foreign policy, and in the first official reaction to criticism from Khartoum, El-Baz strongly objected to Sudan's Parliament Speaker Hassan Al-Turabi's "bizarre attack" against Egypt. El-Baz said that Al-Turabi told Sudan Now magazine that Egypt is "infatuated with the colonial heritage" and that Egyptians treat the Sudanese condescendingly. The presidential adviser said Cairo is always working to improve relations with Khartoum, and described as one the peoples of the two countries.
Furthermore, El-Baz said the borders between Egypt, Sudan and Libya "should be temporary in a world moving in the direction of unification and the establishment of blocs." He also affirmed Egypt's commitment to a united Sudan, saying that southern Sudan "represents a strategic depth for Egypt", and that the partition of Sudan could serve as a precedent for the partition of other countries.
El-Baz argued that Al-Turabi's views "do not represent the views of the Sudanese people, but only one faction, which is the Islamic Front, and not even that faction in its entirety." The career diplomat said Al-Turabi's statements aimed to "incite hatred for Egypt among the younger generations in Sudan." "Take heed of God, of your country and of yourself, Turabi," El-Baz warned, "and remember what Egypt did for you." El-Baz was referring to Al-Turabi's college days in Cairo, where he excelled as a law student under the tutelage of the renowned law professor Abdel-Razzaq El-Sanhouri.
Discussing the situation on Egypt's eastern flank, El-Baz emphasised that "Israel shoulders full responsibility" for the stalemate in the peace process, as a result of its failure to honour commitments according to signed agreements. "Israel continues to violate Arab rights on a daily basis by building and expanding settlements on Arab land," the presidential adviser said. He added that Egypt's support for Palestinian rights "has often drawn criticism from certain countries, but we do not care because we will never abandon a principle in return for a favour."
El-Baz added that Israelis should not view Egypt's support for the Palestinians as interference in their internal affairs, "because Palestinians are not slaves to the Israelis." He denied reports that Cairo was playing a mediatory role to reconcile the various Palestinian factions. "The parties presented their views to us, but uniting the factions is not our role; it is an internal Palestinian affair, and we do not interfere in this," he explained.
El-Baz criticised what he described as attempts by the Israeli press "to cause tension in relations between Cairo and Amman", citing an article in Haaretz newspaper which drew a comparison between the roles of Egypt and Jordan in the peace process. The article said the late President Anwar El-Sadat, who in 1979 signed a peace treaty with Israel's prime minister at the time, Menachem Begin, "tricked" Israel by pursuing a policy "which will cause Israel to disappear in the suffocating embrace of peace." El-Baz quoted the article as saying that the "present regime in Egypt has unveiled its claws by seeking to keep Israel in its position, whereas Jordan is Israel's true partner."
El-Baz said "these obvious Israeli attempts [to make trouble] will not succeed in dividing the Arab front," adding that regardless of any divisions in Arab ranks, "there is a minimum of Arab solidarity" that is upheld by most Arab countries.
