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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Obituary
A question of principle
Mohamed Ibrahim Kamel
1927-2001
One episode in Mohamed Ibrahim Kamel's 45-year career stands out sharply: his opposition to the 1978 Camp David framework peace agreements between Egypt and Israel and his decision to surrender the foreign affairs portfolio in protest. His book, Al-Salam Al-Da'e' fi Camp David, (Lost Peace in Camp David) published in 1983, is one of the most outspoken and critical publications dealing with the first peace overtures between an Arab country, Egypt, and Israel. They climaxed in 1979 with the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries, the first between an Arab state and Israel.
A defining moment: Kamel (left) arrives in Israel for talks in Jerusalem on 15 January 1978 (photo: AP)
Until his death on 21 November, at the age of 74, the name of Kamel was automatically associated with the short period he spent as foreign minister between 1977- 78 under President Anwar El-Sadat. That Kamel disapproved of the way the negotiations were unfolding between the Egyptians, Israelis and Americans in the Maryland retreat of Camp David, and subsequently resigned in protest, was viewed by many as an extremely courageous act. He went as far as to openly criticise Sadat, and accused him of having given away at Camp David more than he should have.
Kamel first met Sadat in the 1940s when the two were allegedly involved in a conspiracy to assassinate Amin Osman, the then minister of finance. Osman was branded a traitor for saying that "Egypt and Britain have a Catholic marriage -- no divorce." Sadat and Kamel were arrested, imprisoned briefly, and later released.
Kamel, a law school graduate, later pursued a successful diplomatic career, serving as Egypt's ambassador to Mexico, Canada, Congo, Zaire, Sweden and Germany.
He came to the limelight when Sadat unexpectedly decided to appoint him foreign minister in September 1977, following the resignation of his predecessor, Ismail Fahmi, and that of Mohamed Riad, state minister for foreign affairs. The two opposed negotiations with Israel which Sadat was about to begin.
In his book, Kamel recounts how he dealt with the difficult negotiations with his Israeli counterpart, Moshe Dayan, and how he encountered "Israeli intransigence and evasiveness."a
Kamel's decision to resign came as a result of disagreements between him and Sadat over Egypt's position in the Camp David talks. According to Kamel's version of the story, Sadat was initially in agreement with what the Egyptian delegation viewed as a "reasonable" text of the peace agreements. However, Kamel alleges that Sadat came under pressure from the Israeli and American delegations and "made concessions." Kamel had no choice but to walk out.
Kamel later pursued a different career as a leading human rights activist. He helped found the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights in 1985, and served as its president until 1993. "We are in dire need for serious institutions to defend human rights in the Arab World," he said at the time. Kamel retired in 1993. He is survived by his wife Rashiqa Shaker and two sons.
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