Al-Ahram Weekly | Egypt

		Al-Ahram Weekly Online 21 - 27 June 2001 Issue No.539
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Current issue \| Previous issue \| Site map

Not so smart
IRAQI President Saddam Hussein sent an envoy to Cairo to meet with President Hosni Mubarak on Monday to discuss the "smart sanctions" proposal submitted by the US and Britain to the UN Security Council. Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Hekmat Ibrahim told reporters after the meeting that Egypt, Syria and Jordan were opposed to the proposal. "From what Iraq has seen from the official positions of Egypt, Syria and Jordan, no one supports the proposal," said the Iraqi envoy.
"At first glance, the proposal appears to be for the benefit of the Iraqi people because it lifts restrictions on trade," noted Ibrahim, "but, in reality, it imposes a permanent siege on Iraqi trade and livelihoods."
The Iraqi official criticised clauses in the proposal which mandate inspection committees funded by Baghdad to ensure that goods exported to neighbouring countries, such as Syria, Jordan, Turkey and Iran, are only those on the UN-approved lists. "This is a financial burden for Iraq and violates its sovereignty as well as that of other countries," said Ibrahim. "It puts Iraq under the mandate of the UN, which means the mandate of the US."
Ibrahim added that Iraq had not been consulted about the proposal, although the process required "objective discussion and negotiation."
He brushed aside demands for the release of Kuwaiti prisoners captured during Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. "Larger issues such as withdrawing our troops, [demarcation of] borders and recognising Kuwait's sovereignty have been resolved. Assuming that we had prisoners, why would we keep them?" asked Ibrahim. "The Kuwaiti government's continued demands on this issue comprise a smoke screen. It is a policy dictated to it [by others]."
Three crimes
THE STATE Security Court that sentenced American University professor and human rights activist, Saadeddin Ibrahim, to seven years imprisonment in May said on Monday it found the defendant guilty on three out of four charges. Ibrahim, who holds a dual Egyptian-American nationality, was convicted together with 27 employees at the Ibn Khaldoun Centre for Development Studies for illegally receiving 261,000 euros from the European Union, in violation of a military decree issued in 1992.
In explaining its verdict, the court said it found Ibrahim guilty of issuing "false reports" and spreading rumors on the status of human rights, parliamentary elections and the treatment of Copts, thus damaging the reputation of Egypt's government. He was also found guilty of "embezzlement" and misusing EU funds.
As for the charge of "criminal complicity" against Ibrahim and four other defendants, the court said prosecutors had failed to provide enough evidence to support their claim and found the suspects not guilty.
Ibrahim's lawyer, Ibrahim Saleh, said he would immediately start appeal procedures at the country's highest Court of Cassation. The court first must decide whether it would accept the appeal and, if so, it would order a retrial.
Sharon on trial
TODAY, the Egyptian Lawyers' Syndicate will be the venue for a token trial of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in which Egyptian and Arab human rights groups and intellectuals will take part. The first of its kind, the mock trial, organised by the Islamic Lawyers' Group, will proceed according to the American jury system.
Sameh Ashour, head of the Union of Arab Lawyers (UAL) and president of the syndicate -- a Muslim Brothers stronghold -- said the proceedings would present a vision for the trial of war criminals and killers of children.
Fighting aggression should not be restricted to condemning statements, he said, adding that the trial launches a series of similar actions against other war criminals as well. Ashour said the UAL is preparing a register of all the war crimes committed by Israel against Palestinian civilians.
NCW Ombudsman
THE NATIONAL Council for Women (NCW), in cooperation with the European Union (EU), has created the post of Ombudsman to analyse and solve problems affecting Egyptian women and girls, reports Amany Abdel-Moneim. On Monday, NCW Secretary-General Farkhonda Hassan and EU Principal Administrator Richard Granville signed an agreement introducing the functions of an ombudsman -- an independent public officer who investigates complaints of abuse, unreasonable acts or prolonged delays by civil and legal institutions. The officer reports the findings to the concerned authorities. The mandate of the ombudsman project, funded primarily by the EU, is reminiscent of the diwan el- mazalem (Complaints Office), that was once active in Egypt.
According to Hassan, the Ombudsman will rely on partnerships with civil society organisations to create an effective referral system, as well as assess the performance of the office. "The Ombudsman will be able to self- evaluate his effectiveness in dealing with social problems affecting Egyptian women, especially those requiring policy change, law enforcement, or awareness of rights and duties," added Hassan.
Compiled by Nevine Khalil

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