Issue No. 612
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14 - 20 November 2002 Issue No. 612 Home news |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Looking for distinction
President Mubarak briefed NDP parliamentarians on the latest developments in regional and domestic issues. Nevine Khalil attended
A few days before presiding over the inaugural session of parliament, President Hosni Mubarak met with National Democratic Party (NDP) MPs in his capacity as chairman of the ruling party. Mubarak spent just over one hour with the NDP parliamentarians on Tuesday, briefly addressing a number of domestic and regional issues.
The most pressing regional issue was UN Security Council Resolution 1441 which gave the international team of weapons inspectors a stronger mandate in their quest to uncover Iraq's alleged stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. Iraq has less than 48 hours to declare whether it will comply with the resolution, and if so, it will have 30 days to disclose all the information on its arsenal. Mubarak noted that now that the international community had successfully dissuaded the US from unilaterally carrying out military strikes against Iraq, the ball was in Baghdad's court. "Now the Iraqis must cooperate and be responsive," Mubarak said. "If they have no weapons of mass destruction, then they have nothing to fear." By allowing inspectors to carry out their work without hindrance, said Mubarak, Baghdad will be demonstrating to world public opinion that any military strikes are unjustified.
Mubarak also said that he was in close contact with US President George W Bush on both the Iraq issue, and current conditions in the Palestinian territories. Mubarak described the Arab-Israeli conflict as a case of "lost opportunities", noting that setbacks in the peace process began soon after the 1995 assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, with none of his successors making any progress on the peace track. The Egyptian president also expressed his doubts about the message he recently received from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon recommitting himself to peace. "As soon as [Sharon] came to power he told me that he wanted to end his political life by bringing peace," said Mubarak, "so I hope his most recent message will not end up like the previous promise."
Mubarak said Egypt was committed to continue offering its assistance in peacemaking, as evidenced by its consultations in recent weeks with all of the peace process players. "I am willing to exert an effort to achieve peace, but I am not willing to accept unjust demands," said Mubarak, in reference to Israel's insistence that Arafat be ousted from power in return for the relaunch of talks. "I do not expect any positive results before the Israeli elections in late January," Mubarak said.
Tuesday's session began with the president addressing the domestic economic, social and political scene. He said the government is working on a draft law which will encourage and facilitate the establishment of small industries, while providing incentives for investors at the same time; both measures were meant to alleviate the country's unemployment problem. "The private sector is taking the lead in providing employment opportunities and therefore we must facilitate their work," said Mubarak. "The government can no longer provide a job for every citizen. It's a strain on the budget, which already subsidises many services and commodities." Egypt's population now stands at 69.5 million -- after an increase of 700,000 between January and June of this year alone -- a growth rate which Mubarak said "represents a danger to the country's standard of living".
The president also broached the controversial subject of businessmen who have defaulted on their bank loans and fled the country. Mubarak said that the matter must be addressed rationally, and that "we must penalise those who are corrupt, [but] not be suspicious of all businessmen." At the same time, he invited those who had fled "to return and negotiate a solution, if they are serious". Mubarak also explained his decision to transfer the Central Bank's affiliation from the cabinet to the presidency: "The aim is to make it an independent entity, free to make its own decisions."
Prior to Mubarak's address, minister of information and NDP Secretary-General Safwat El-Sherif promised Mubarak and the gathered parliamentarians that the NDP's work in the coming session "will reflect a new way of thinking, as well as the [basic ideas] agreed upon at the NDP convention". Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kamal El-Shazli, who serves as El- Sherif's deputy in the NDP, said that the party's eighth convention -- which took place in September -- laid the groundwork for the ruling party's reform. "The coming parliamentary session will witness a new and distinguished performance" on the part of the NDP, El-Shazli said.
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