17 - 23 January 2002
Issue No.569
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 17 - 23 January 2002 Issue No.569 |
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A dangerous mind set
President Mubarak warned again that Israeli Prime Minister Sharon's anti-peace policies are leading the region to disaster, writes Nevine Khalil
On Monday, President Hosni Mubarak criticised Israel for obstructing peace efforts to end its aggressions against the Palestinians, most notably US special envoy Anthony Zinni's recent mission. Mubarak poked holes in Israel's claims that a shipment of weapons, seized on 3 January, was destined for the Palestinian Authority, characterising their story as "inconsistent and fabricated."
Inaugurating the Cairo Telecomp 2002 Expo on Monday, President Hosni Mubarak logged on as the first user of the government's free Internet service. Some 204 companies from 18 countries are taking part in the sixth fair specialising in communications
Mubarak was commenting on Israel's most recent claims which threaten to abort American and European efforts to bring an end to the 15- month Intifada and the two parties together to the negotiating table. Israel claimed that the freighter Karine A carrying 50 tons of mainly Iranian arms and captained by a former Palestinian officer, was seized in international waters in the Red Sea en route to the PA. The Palestinians vehemently deny these allegations and have launched an investigation into the affair.
While inaugurating the Cairo Telecomp Expo on Monday, Mubarak mocked Israeli accounts of the Karine A's alleged voyage: "First, the information said that the ship would cross the Suez Canal towards Al-Arish -- as if Al-Arish is Micronesia and nobody would know anything -- and then small boats would take the weapons to Gaza -- which by the way is constantly [monitored] by the Israeli navy. The next day, they said that it will be heading to Alexandria where the cargo would be transferred in smaller boats -- as if Egypt would not know anything about Alexandria either. Then they surprised us by saying that the ship was seized in the Red Sea and headed for [the Israeli port of] Eilat. Is this information true? Was it heading to the PA like they say, or another destination? Might this all be a fabrication? The matter is unclear and their statements are confused."
Mubarak warned of "disaster" in the region if the current situation continues, and Israel does not stop its aggression against the Palestinians. "Israel's actions encourage irresponsible violence and terrorism worldwide," noted Mubarak. "Peace will not be achieved unless each party is given its rights," he added.
Earlier in the week, Mubarak told October magazine that the Palestinians cannot be asked to halt the violence, while Israel is left to continue its aggression unchecked. "The solution is a halt to Israeli violence, which will spontaneously lead to a halt in Palestinian violence," he said in the interview.
At a meeting with army officers at Suez on Saturday, Mubarak said that if Israel believes that the Palestinians will flee under pressure from its military machine, "I assure them that this is a very dangerous mindset. The Palestinians will not stand down and the cycle of violence will expand," Mubarak said. "Unfortunately, [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon only understands the language of destruction, but he is mistaken to believe the Palestinians will succumb to this."
Meanwhile, Cairo exchanged views on the deteriorating condition in the Middle East with a number of American and European visitors. These included US Senator John Carey on Tuesday, who met with Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher for an insight on Egypt's reading of conditions in the Middle East.
After a 90-minute meeting with Mubarak, Carey said that his tour of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinians territories aims at formulating a better picture of events and problems in the region and how best to resolve them. He said that he was seeking Cairo's advice because of Mubarak's long experience in peace- making in the region, and that Washington was "very concerned" regarding the effects of current conditions on American strategic interests in the region.
Also visiting was Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Piquè, who met with Maher on Tuesday and with Mubarak yesterday. Maher told reporters later that the European Union (EU) and Egypt are "looking in the same direction" regarding how to move the Israeli-Palestinian track forward. Piquè said that the purpose of his visit was to "gather information so that we continue working with all sides." He added, however, that circumstances were currently "not suitable" for both sides to attend a peace conference and launch negotiations.
Earlier in the week, a congressional delegation touring the region expressed the hope that violence and tensions between the Palestinians and Israelis could end soon in order for talks to begin. Congressmen Richard Gephardt told reporters after meeting with Mubarak on Sunday that Washington was "very interested in helping bring about peace" in the Middle East. "We need to be an active party in this region and we will continue to try to do that," noted Gephardt.
Gephardt and four other congressmen were in Cairo as part of a regional tour which include stops in Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and the Palestinian territories. The top item on their agenda is combating terrorism, Gephardt told reporters, although he believes that the timing is not yet ripe to hold a UN-sponsored conference against terrorism. "I don't know whether an international conference right now would be the best thing to do," he said. Mubarak has repeatedly called for the convening of such a conference in order to organise a world effort to combat terrorism.
Mubarak told army officers on Saturday that it was "impossible to extinguish terrorism in Afghanistan while Israel is left to kill and attack Palestinians." He also assured the gathering that Arab countries such as Somalia, Yemen or Iraq would not be targeted by the US in its pursuit of terrorism worldwide. "I doubt that there will be military strikes against any Arab country," noted Mubarak, "because there are no confirmed reports about Al-Qa'eda members fleeing to [our] region." He added a cautionary note, saying that "striking any Arab country would be very dangerous with serious ramifications."
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