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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 June 1999 Issue No. 435 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 June 1999 Issue No. 435
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Interview Travel Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Partnership preferred
President Hosni Mubarak heads to Washington next week with an agenda full of issues to be discussed thoroughly with US officials. The Middle East peace process will definitely top his list of priorities, and the president will clearly convey the collective Arab view: that the time has come for clear and tangible steps to get the long-stalled peace process back on track. There are, however, other items on the president's list.The Arab countries are committed to peace as a strategic option, but the new Israeli government, therefore, will have to work hard if it is to restore Arab faith in Israel's intentions. The Arabs are also strongly opposed to the continued suffering of the Iraqi people and the irrational, unjustified sanctions regime. US plans to topple the Iraqi regime are exceedingly unpopular, and widely perceived as a dangerous precedent in regional politics. As the US surely understands, most of us would rather identify our own problems, and solve them ourselves. President Mubarak has repeatedly stated his opposition to the Iraqi regime's policies, but maintaining the current atmosphere of tension and regular US and British strikes against Iraqi targets can only add to the instability in the region.
Egypt has played a central role in cooperating with the United States. The partnership has been mutually beneficial for over two decades. If Egypt had not provided a pioneering model for a peaceful settlement with Israel, no other Arab country would have taken steps to normalise relations. But Egypt's role was never confined to the peace process. Mobilising Arab support and participation in the US-led alliance to liberate Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf War would not have been possible without Egypt's leading role. Egypt's role in the region, therefore, is indispensable; it cannot be performed by any other country. Therefore, the Egyptians expect to be dealt with as equal partners, and trust that US-Egyptian relations will be based on common interests, not made conditional on measures that are unacceptable to the people, and the government, of this country.
