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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 Jan. - 2 Feb. 2000 Issue No. 466 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 Jan. - 2 Feb. 2000 Issue No. 466
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters 'Beyond differences'
By Nevine KhalilPresident Hosni Mubarak inaugurated the 32nd Cairo International Book Fair yesterday, touring booths and holding an open dialogue with intellectuals and press and media representatives. The fair, which will remain open until 6 February, exhibits hundreds of thousands of titles from some 72 countries and hosts seminars, readings and performances.
After touring exhibits for nearly two hours, Mubarak headed to his meeting with Egypt's prominent literary figures. At the beginning of the event, he congratulated a number of prominent writers and journalists for their best selling books for 1999, including Al-Ahram Board Chairman and Chief Editor of Al-Ahram newspaper Ibrahim Nafie, Rose El-Youssef Chief Editor Mohamed Abdel-Moneim, Al-Ahram columnists Salama A. Salama, Abdel-Azim Ramadan and Anis Mansour, theatre critic Nehad Seleiha, October Editor-in-Chief Ragab El-Banna, Akhbar Al-Youm Chief Editor Ibrahim Se'da, Al-Akhbar Editor-in-Chief Galal Dweidar, Al-Gomhouriya Chief Editor Samir Ragab, writers Mohamed El-Sayed Said, El-Sayed Yassin, Youssef El-Qaeed and Mahmoud Amin El-Alem, as well as publishers Mohamed Rashed and Mohamed Ibrahim.
Addressing an array of foreign and domestic issues, Mubarak spoke for nearly an hour about regional peace-making, Arab solidarity, Sudan and national harmony. On the peace process, the president confirmed that Cairo will take part in multilateral talks on Middle Eastern issues opening in Russia in the coming few days. "Now that Syria is engaged in negotiations with Israel, we will take part in the multilateral talks". He said that Egypt will take a firm stand in these talks to address the "vital issue of nuclear disarmament in the Middle East". For years, Arab countries have complained that Israel had failed to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and, consequently, posed a threat to its neighbours.
At the same time, Mubarak said that "any negotiations related to the usurped rights of peoples are bound to face problems and go through difficult times". He noted that Egypt, before making peace with Israel, had been "determined" to take back all its occupied territories "through war, negotiations or international arbitration". By the same token, he believes that "Syria is not willing to compromise on its territories". The president drew a clear parallel between progress on the Syrian-Israeli track of negotiations and "Israel's commitment to implementing signed agreements with the Palestinians". He said that procrastinating or recanting on these agreements by Israel "creates an atmosphere of mistrust, and a confidence crisis among negotiating parties will cause many problems on the road to progress".
Mubarak emphasised that Cairo is "doing its best" to resolve differences between the Palestinians and Israelis, and expressed hope that they would be ironed out soon. He noted that "had the Arab world understood what Camp David was about, the situation would have been completely different now". Egypt signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1979, which was conceptualised in Camp David a year earlier and, as a result, was ostracised from the Arab world for nearly a decade.
Mubarak emphasised that Egypt is strongly in favour of organising an Arab summit, and believes that the gathering should convene on a regular basis "in order to achieve Arab solidarity". However, he noted that such a meeting "requires preparation in order to succeed", denying that it will take place in the spring. "No dates have been set," he said. The president drew parallels with the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), saying that the annual African summit-level meetings "allows leaders to address issues, eliminate possible problems, reconcile and liquidate differences".
Mubarak said that Cairo "always looks beyond differences and does not subvert such gatherings to even the score with anyone" and, therefore, the next Arab summit should have "higher goals".
Another foreign policy issue the president addressed was the situation in Sudan after President Omar Al-Bashir dissolved parliament and declared a state of emergency last month. Mubarak said that Egypt did not act too hastily in welcoming the changes in Sudan, saying that "dealing with legitimate and constitutional authorities" is the only way to handle bilateral ties. He added that the Sudanese people "are keen on having good relations with us", and that Egypt's southern neighbour "has begun a new phase of reconciliation with the outside world".
Mubarak called on political institutions and parties to play a role in enforcing national harmony in order to avoid clashes similar to those witnessed recently in the southern village of Al-Kosheh. "We are all Egyptians under one flag," he said. He continued that the Kosheh clashes began "because of differences over money matters that were later manipulated by rumour-mongers and trouble-makers". Mubarak would not give details, "because the matter is being heard by the courts, and the law will penalise those who are found responsible".
He expressed surprise and discontent that the issue was "blown out of proportion abroad by hirelings working to destabilise Egypt". He said the regime will not repeal the Emergency Law -- enforced since 1981 to give police the right to detain suspects for long periods without trial -- "because it ensures stability".
More on the Cairo Book Fair, see Bigger or better by Youssef Rakha
