29 Nov. - 5 Dec. 2001
Issue No.562
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 29 Nov. - 5 Dec. 2001 Issue No.562 |
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Forms of assistance
Cairo is happy to provide humanitarian assistance to a post-Taliban Afghanistan. Taking part in a peace-keeping force is something else altogether, reports Soha Abdelaty
President Hosni Mubarak has made it clear, more than once, that Egyptian military forces will remain away from the battlefield in Afghanistan. But Cairo is definitely willing to continue its contribution to humanitarian relief efforts.
US ground troops are stepping up their engagement in Afghanistan with an expected 1,000 marines in the south, but the movements of so-called raid forces this week were kept quiet by the Pentagon (photo: AFP)
Mubarak, speaking to journalists last Thursday, outlined what Egypt was prepared to do in the post-Taliban Afghanistan. "We will give humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan," said Mubarak. And in that area, discussions between the US and Egypt have already begun. US Ambassador David Welch told Al Ahram Weekly: "This has been under discussion with the government here, and in the coming days perhaps we will see some announcement or example of that." This position is not new for Egypt, which has been sending aid worth between $100,000-$200,000 to Afghanistan annually for the past three years.
The controversial issue is whether Egypt is willing to participate in an international, or Muslim, peace-keeping force. Mubarak recently suggested that this force be made up of troops from Asian Islamic countries. Cairo, it has been suggested, is apparently concerned about Arab Muslim soldiers going to Afghanistan and later returning to their homelands as Islamist militants.
Mubarak later said that "in principle sending Egyptian troops abroad is not a decision for the president alone, but for the people and parliament as well."
He recalled that Egyptian forces had previously taken part in a number of humanitarian and construction missions, notably in Bosnia-Herzegovina, under the umbrella of the United Nations. "We did not send fighting forces to the Balkans, Somalia or other African countries," said Mubarak. "Our troops were involved in building schools and hospitals."
So, Egypt does not appear to have objections to the idea, if only in principle. Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher recently paid a visit to Pakistan for the purpose of coordinating with countries directly involved in the conflict the role that Egypt can play. His discussions there covered the issue of a peace- keeping force.
Having returned from Pakistan, Maher told reporters, in response to a question about the possibility of Egyptian participation, that "there is a need for an international force to assist the parties in establishing institutions and fostering stability in the area. We agree with Pakistan on that. As for the make- up of this force, that is a different issue; some countries will contribute and other countries are still thinking about it."
It is likely that Egypt will take some time before reaching a decision. For one thing, the war in Afghanistan is not over yet and it is perhaps too early to make such a commitment, especially if the war drags on. According to Mubarak, there is still "a long way to go in Afghanistan." Only two Muslim countries -- Turkey and Jordan -- have already made this commitment.
Egypt has not received any invitation to join the proposed force, if only because there is no clear idea so far on its make-up or its exact duties. "There is no agreement on the form of this force and the way it will operate," said Maher.
British Ambassador John Sawers argued that "Egypt as a friendly country to the likes of Pakistan, and so on, can support the process." He added that Maher's visit to Pakistan and his talks there "are important steps of support."
The feeling in Cairo, however, seem to be that if the idea behind having an Islamic peace-keeping force is to gain the blessing of the Islamic world, then the US already has countries like Jordan and Turkey to serve that purpose.
One thing is clear, Egypt is determined to play a role in the post- Taliban Afghanistan era. "There is an international effort being exerted after the difficult period of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, and we are part of this effort to resolve the Afghan problem," Maher said in Pakistan. Egypt, which certainly does not wish to see the re-emergence of the Arab- Afghan phenomenon, does have a stake in the stability of Afghanistan.
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