Impeding disaster
President Mubarak has warned that an American war against Iraq would serve no purpose but pour fuel over a fire. Meanwhile, inter-Arab efforts continue to prevent such a disaster, reportsNevine Khalil
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President Mubarak and Crown Prince Abdullah in Riyadh this week hoped to find a way to avert war against Iraq
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President Hosni Mubarak went to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a brief visit to consult with leaders there on the escalation of tensions in the region. Mubarak's trip to Riyadh is part of an ongoing effort by Cairo to avoid the possibility of a US-led war against Iraq, and contain deteriorating conditions in the Palestinian territories. His visit came at the heels of Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul's Saudi visit on Saturday, after having visited Syria, Egypt and Jordan last week. In Riyadh, Mubarak and Crown Prince Abdullah exchanged viewpoints on the possibility of war in Iraq, its repercussions on the region, and ways to avoid it. At the end of their talks, Cairo and Riyadh called for more diplomatic efforts in a bid to avert strikes against Baghdad.
Minister of Information Safwat El-Sherif told reporters later that the two leaders were "very concerned about the repercussions of military action against Iraq," and called on all parties to "seek a peaceful resolution within the context of international legitimacy". Mubarak and Abdullah also stressed the "significance of the UN role" in ensuring that Security Council resolutions are adhered to, "to protect the security and stability of the region as well as international peace and security".
Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia have denied reports that they are mediating to convince Saddam to step down from power as a way to avoid a war, or that they could be destinations for the Iraqi president's exile. Turkey, a key US ally in NATO and a likely launching pad for US strikes on neighbouring Iraq, sent its Trade Minister Kursad Tuzmen to Iraq on 10 January to speak with Saddam about finding a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis.
But despite parallel efforts by countries in the Middle East, Mubarak declared on Sunday that "there is no Egyptian-Saudi-Turkish coordination or initiative." He told reporters while touring the land reclamation project at Toshka that "resolving the Iraqi problem is very difficult and attacking Iraq has drastic repercussions which no one can predict right now." Mubarak reiterated that attacking Iraq "will not serve any purpose, but only pour fuel over the fire". On a more ominous note, he added that if Washington decides to go to war, "no one can stop it. It is the only superpower in the world." Mubarak also said that there were "no more messages" which he wishes to publicly convey to the Iraqi or American leaderships. "I have sent many messages, I don't want to repeat myself. That's enough."
Before leaving for Riyadh on Tuesday, Mubarak met with Bahrain's Information Minister Nabil Al-Hamer, who said he was hopeful that the ongoing Arab consultations would yield positive results. Bahrain, which will host next March's Arab summit, is currently host to the US Navy 5th Fleet. "All Arab leaders are seeking to set aside the spectre of war," Al-Hamer told reporters.
Expectations are that Mubarak will soon be receiving a message from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, which will be delivered by Ali Hassan Al-Majid, a close aide to the Iraqi leader and member of Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council.
At Toshka on Sunday, Mubarak did not even want to contemplate what the ramifications of a war in Iraq would have for the region and the situation in the Palestinian territories. "It is very difficult to predict what will happen to the Palestinian issue if a war against Iraq breaks out. I don't want to talk about it now." He was also pessimistic about the prospects for restarting a dialogue between the Palestinians and Israelis. "I cannot say that there will be a relaunch of negotiations after the Israeli elections [at the end of January]," said Mubarak, who also lambasted Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for his hard-line policies. "Does Sharon want negotiations or not?" he asked. "Without sitting at the negotiating table, it will be difficult to stop the violence."
In Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Mubarak and Abdullah criticised Israel's "negative positions, which aim to abort any attempts to revive the peace process". Meanwhile, they ascertained, Arab parties continue their efforts -- such as the recent talks in Cairo among the Palestinian factions -- to stop the violence. The two leaders hoped that the talks hosted by Egypt would result in "a united Palestinian stand enhancing the reform efforts undertaken by the Palestinian Authority".
Shortly before Mubarak headed to Riyadh, his chief of intelligence Omar Suleiman led Egypt's delegation to the London conference on Palestinian reform. British Prime Minister Tony Blair initiated the conference, which brings together the Palestinians, along with representatives from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, as well as the diplomatic Quartet (the US, the European Union, Russia and the UN). The two-day conference discussed reforms inside the Palestinian Authority; when Israel barred Palestinians from attending in person, six Palestinian officials took part by video-link.
