Al-Ahram Weekly | Opinion | The president's visit

		30 May - 5 June 2002 Issue No.588 Opinion	Current issue Previous issue Site map
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Recommend this page

The president's visit
By Naguib Mahfouz

President Mubarak's forthcoming visit to the US could not come at a more important juncture. Not that we should expect a miraculous end to the Palestinian issue to be the result. In the current climate the visit will be a success if it merely paves the way for an exchange of opinions. We have reached the stage when nobody listens to anybody else, a framework within which it is impossible to imagine a meeting between the two sides of the conflict. With President Mubarak's presence in Washington, though, we can at least be sure that the Arab viewpoint will be forcefully expressed. We must hope that the American administration will listen to the Arab position on attacking Iraq, a critical issue that will have a bearing on the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. No development that has taken place in Iraq can justify waging a new war on it. Yet Washington insists that it is in the process of preparing for this war, which has been postponed rather than given up. President Mubarak will no doubt make this point. Equally important, the president will stress Washington's obligation towards the Egyptian economy. Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.