Newsreel

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Malaysian miracle

MALAYSIA'S economic success story and the question of cultural integration were the themes of two lectures delivered by Malaysia's former prime minister, Mahathir Mohamed, at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on Sunday and Monday this week.

Speaking to a large audience, including many present and former Egyptian officials, the maverick former prime minister explained in his first lecture how his government had managed to change the philosophical outlook and work ethic of workers, farmers and professionals. The quality of Malaysia's products, he said, now compares favourably with those of Western countries. In his more controvertial second lecture, Mahathir spoke about the cultural integration of ethnic minorities with different value systems, asserting that the majority had to be tolerant of the rights of minorities to manifest their culture.

Chief presidential advisor, Osama El-Baz, was among the panelists at the second lecture, and a lively discussion ensued with El-Baz and Ismail Serageldin, the director of the Bibliotecha Alexandrina, commenting on Mahathir's observations regarding cultural integration.

On the fringe of his Alexandria visit, Mahathir -- in his capacity as special adviser to Malaysia's Petronas oil and gas company -- met with Egypt's Petroleum Minister Sameh Fahmi to discuss several important projects and joint ventures in the petroleum and natural gas sectors.

Focus on Lebanon

PRESIDENT Hosni Mubarak met Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri yesterday for talks on a number of issues, including developments in the region, Lebanon and bilateral relations. Al-Hariri, who also met with Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and Minister of Foreign Trade and Industry Rashid Mohamed Rashid, was accompanied by Lebanese Minister of Trade Marwan Hamada in addition to a large business delegation.

Apart from talks on ways of boosting trade between the two countries, which stands at $203 million this year, Al- Hariri also took the opportunity of his visit to discuss the recent constitutional change which extended Lebanese President Emile Lahoud's presidency for another three years. Talks also focussed on the Security Council resolution on Syrian involvement in Lebanese affairs, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Egypt's peacemaking efforts between Palestinians and Israelis and the deteriorating situation in Iraq.

Dangerous terrain

REPORTS that three Egyptian citizens in Iraq were brutally killed have prompted an angry reaction from the Egyptian government. Egyptian officials have conveyed what they called a clear message to the Iraqi government regarding the matter.

The message, Egyptian officials said, was met with adequate concern from the Iraqi side. Iraqi officials confirmed to their Egyptian counterparts that they are doing everything they can to make sure that all foreign nationals in Iraq are safe. They also said, however, that they are still trying to bring security and stability to the country.

On Sunday, the body of an Egyptian citizen was discovered in northern Iraq, Iraqi authorities said. Anwar Mohamed Amin of the Iraqi National Guard was quoted as saying that the man's hands were bound with a rope and the corpse bore signs that the man had been beaten. The discovery came only a few days after two other Egyptian citizens in Iraq were confirmed dead. The first was an Egyptian citizen who was allegedly beheaded. The second was an Egyptian who was shot for allegedly cooperating with Americans. A videotape of the killing, Arab papers reported, was currently being sold in Iraq.

Although the Foreign Affairs Ministry was reluctant to confirm news of the beheading, Egyptian officials speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly admitted that "there is a problem", and that it had to be addressed before it got out of hand.

According to one official, there appeared to be a mistaken impression among the militant Iraqi groups that a great many Egyptians were working with the Americans against the resistance in Iraq. The Egyptian mission in Baghdad has been given clear instructions to work quickly to correct that impression.

The mission has also been instructed to attempt to get a clearer, more accurate account of the number of Egyptians in Iraq. Since thousands of Egyptians have been living there for over three decades, with many having married Iraqis and become Iraqi citizens, the task will certainly not be easy.

Over the past few months, various Iraqi militant groups have held four Egyptians hostage -- three of whom were released after successful negotiations with the kidnappers. These included Mohamed Sanad, who was released last week, and a member of the Egyptian diplomatic mission in Baghdad, Mohamed Mamdouh Qutb.

Egyptian officials said there could be other Egyptians "facing problems", but they insisted that the Egyptian ministries of foreign affairs, labour and interior were all stepping up their efforts to minimise the risks that might be faced by Egyptians in Iraq.