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Important message

PEACE between Israelis and Palestinians could become a reality, and stability could be achieved in Iraq, if all concerned powers were to adopt a peaceful, rather than militaristic, approach towards these two disturbing regional problems. That was the basic message of an interview with President Hosni Mubarak that appeared in the mass-circulation German paper Der Spiegel this week.

According to the translation of the full text of the interview that was published in Al-Ahram on Monday, Mubarak stressed that the expected Israeli withdrawal from Gaza should be a first step towards a more comprehensive effort to implement the roadmap, and to reach peace on the basis of the Arab peace initiative that was adopted by the Arab summit in Beirut in 2002. "The Beirut plan is still valid. We have learned through our long and hard negotiations with the Israelis that they will negotiate every single inch of land. They would not give up on anything easily. This is exactly what happened with us during the 1978 negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. At the time, Ariel Sharon was a member of the government, and he was opposed to the return Sinai to Egypt, but in the end we got Sinai," Mubarak said.

Mubarak also advised a straightforward recipe of realism for Iraq. According to the president, it is unrealistic to expect stability to come to Iraq with the heavy presence of foreign forces in highly populated Iraqi cities. The foreign troops have to pull out, and they have to be replaced with Iraqi forces. So, the most important thing to do, Mubarak said "was to promptly create a new Iraqi army and police forces."

Mubarak's interview with Der Spiegel also covered a range of domestic issues including the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and the potential for a speedier process of reform and democratisation. On the first, the president was categorically terse. "The Muslim Brotherhood has a terrorist history," he said. On reform-related issues, however, Mubarak seemed willing to make a clear commitment.

Mission awarded

MRS SUZANNE Mubarak's longstanding commitment to promoting cultural awareness and making books available to Egyptian readers at affordable prices was celebrated in Kuwait this week. The prestigious Kuwaiti cultural festival of Al- Qorain chose Mrs Mubarak as its person of the year for cultural accomplishments in the Arab world.

While receiving her award, Mrs Mubarak promised continued commitment to spreading cultural awareness in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world. In a speech, Mrs Mubarak said that her cultural mission is still in progress, and will expand in the future. "Today, we stand faced with the major cultural and information challenges that came with the new millennium, and that require modern and innovative answers on our part, if we wanted to live up to these challenges, while still holding on to our rich and much celebrated reservoirs of cultural achievements."

Celebrating "individual creativity", Mrs Mubarak said, has become an integral component of all campaigns that aim to promote cultural awareness. "We believe that cultural democracy can only be attained by allowing individuals to exercise their creativity. This is the way ahead," she said.

Celebrating diversity, Mrs Mubarak added, is as essential as celebrating creativity. "Today, the Arab world needs to give adequate attention to issues related to diversity, tolerance and justice. We need to recall that our rich cultural heritage was never the outcome of coercive thinking, but was rather the fruit of accumulated cross-cultural fertilisation."

In her speech, Mrs Mubarak called on the Arab world to pursue a strong presence for Arab culture on the international scene. "This is the way for us to best argue our case and to rectify any misunderstandings related to our culture."

Promising reform

DELIVERING his cabinet's first policy statement before parliament on Sunday, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif spoke of a 10-point socio-economic and political reform programme aimed at facing the challenges of the 21st century. The socio- economic programmes, Nazif said, include creating a more investment-friendly climate in Egypt, fighting unemployment, rationalising subsidies, improving public services, boosting economic performance, upgrading education, and controlling the runaway growth of the population. They also involve streamlining the performance of the nation's administrative system, conserving natural resources, and building a modern information technology society.

In the political realm, Nazif said his government would introduce a bold batch of draft laws aimed at improving the nation's electoral system, facilitating the formation of new political parties and enhancing the supervisory roles of the People's Assembly. Nazif added that other bills aimed at broadening the scope of political participation would also be submitted to parliament. These, he said, are designed to regulate the performance of NGOs, professional syndicates and city councils.

Nazif boasted that in a relatively short period, and for the first time in modern Egyptian history, his government was able to adopt bold initiatives and take tough decisions. "We decided to reduce income and corporate tax from 42 to 20 per cent, reform customs and restructure tariffs, stand up to the problem of bad bank loans, and speed up the privatisation programme." He promised that even more reforms would be introduced in the next stage, especially in the education, health care, transport, and other social services sectors.

Nazif said his government's main job was encouraging liberalisation in both political and economic terms, reinforcing the rule of law, and creating a balance between the social needs of limited-income classes, and the requirements of a market economy.

Reform again

EGYPT is planning to host a conference on reform and modernisation next year. According to Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit, the meeting -- scheduled to take place in Cairo during the first week of March 2005 -- will bring together the foreign ministers of the 22-member states of the Arab League, along with their counterparts from the G8, to discuss an agenda for modernisation in this part of the world, on the basis of these countries' socio-economic and political priorities.

The meeting will be on the eve of the regular Arab League foreign ministers meeting that also convenes in the first week of March; it will also take place a couple of weeks before the Arab summit, which is scheduled to take place on 23 March in Algeria. These subsequent meetings will review the outcome of the reform and modernisation conference.

Engaging the US

FOREIGN Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit and Intelligence Chief Omar Soliman are planning a visit to Washington next month for talks with future US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on a host of issues of bilateral interest, and especially developments in the Middle East and Iraq. The visit should take place after Rice is sworn into office. This visit, Egyptian diplomats said, would also consider initial preparations for a visit by President Hosni Mubarak to Washington in the spring or summer of 2005.

Oil spill

ONGOING efforts at the Suez Canal Authority to disperse a 20km long oil spill have managed to contain the damage and avoid a possible environmental crisis. The spill occurred when about 10,000 tonnes of crude oil leaked from a Kuwaiti tanker on 14 December, after it collided with a quay in the canal. Officials managed to contain the spill, which took place between Al-Teena and Al-Esh, and stop it from moving towards Port Said.

Chemical substances will be used to dissolve the spill, which will then be drained, officials said. Since the process will take time, no definite deadline was set for the work to be completed. Officials said canal traffic was not affected by the spill.

Security pledges

BEDOUINS from Northern and Southern Sinai have pledged, in a letter signed by their leaders, to cooperate with security bodies. The Bedouins promised not to shelter any person wanted by security bodies, and to report anyone under suspicion to officials. The letter was signed during a meeting held in the Sinai governorate city of Ras Sedr, during which the Bedouin tribesmen announced their complete abidance to the law, and strict condemnation of terrorism and violence. They were also keen to renew their support and allegiance to President Hosni Mubarak.

Members of parliament representing Sinai, heads of local municipalities, and Bedouin tribal elders all attended the meeting.

The meeting and pledge was seen by observers as attempts to ease the tight security crackdown imposed upon the peninsula following the October Taba blasts. According to statements issued last month by human rights activists, security bodies had detained and tortured around 5,000 people in Sinai, both during investigations, and even after several of the culprits were arrested.

Problem solved

A CLASH between the Abbasia Cathedral and Al-Osbou independent weekly newspaper ended this week after the Arabs Against Discrimination (AAD) organisation played a mediating role.

The clash began when several Copts attacked Al-Osbou journalist Mustafa Soliman during demonstrations that took place earlier this month at the Cathedral.

During a meeting at AAD headquarters, Coptic Youth Bishop Moussa condemned the irresponsible behaviour of the demonstrators, asserting that it did not reflect the views of the Cathedral, which appreciates the role of the press.

In this connection, Al-Ahram's Board Chairman Ibrahim Nafie, who is also the chairman of AAD, said that the press and all non-governmental organisations are keen on backing the principle of national unity.

Al-Osbou Chief Editor Mustafa Bakri said his newspaper always appreciates the national role of the church, and called for more effective dialogues.

Compiled by Mona El-Nahhas