Limiting the damage
Since war has been launched, Cairo wants it swift and limited. Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelaty report on the Egyptian position
Following a weekend of worrisome demonstrations in downtown Cairo, the government at first focussed on the home front, but as the week progressed, it turned its attention to diplomacy in an effort to end the war on Iraq. Egypt does not want to see a protracted military campaign, and is calling for a quick cease-fire to protect Iraqi civilians. It also wants the UN to resume its role in securing international peace and stability.
"Military operations began despite our opposition," President Hosni Mubarak told the media on Sunday. "Egypt made every attempt to avert a war; we could not do anything else." His statements came after a series of meeting with his top political and security aides on Saturday and Sunday. In the meetings, Mubarak was briefed on several issues relating to the war in Iraq, including the military situation on the ground, developments on the international level as well as the economic and security situation at home. Mubarak told his advisers, "Egypt's interests and security on the home front must always be at the forefront of any action."
Regionally, Mubarak doesn't want to see military operations expand, nor does he want to see the division of Iraq under any regime, and he condemned the possibility of an American occupation of Iraq. "The people must have the right to choose their leadership," he asserted. Cairo urged all parties to work quickly towards a political solution, and said it is willing to cooperate with anyone to reach such a solution.
Already, Egyptian officials are in contact with the parties to the conflict to try to settle the matter peacefully and as quickly as possible. In a telephone conversation with US President George W Bush shortly after strikes on Iraq began on Thursday, Mubarak urged a quick cease-fire to avoid further suffering by the Iraqi people. Mubarak relayed the same message to British Prime Minister Tony Blair in another phone conversation on Tuesday, and spoke to Spanish Prime Minister José Maria Aznar on Monday, urging an end to military operations. Mubarak also spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah and Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday to exchange ideas in light of the ever-changing situation in Iraq territories.
"The Americans told us it [the war] will be brief, but I am concerned that it will take a long time, which would cause many deaths," Mubarak said on Sunday. "We hope these operations end soon."
Upon their request, British Ambassador to Cairo John Sawers and US Ambassador to Cairo David Welch, met separately with Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher on Sunday, to update him on the situation in Iraq. Egyptian officials are not seeing eye- to-eye with their American and British counterparts over how the war in Iraq should be resolved.
Cairo is working in the UN to convene a Security Council meeting, in the hope that the UN will, once again, take control over the matter of Iraq, after being snubbed by the US-led coalition against the country. "The UN must have a role since the matter is related to Security Council decisions, which do not dictate war," Maher insisted. "The UN role and efforts should replace military operations." Mubarak said on Sunday that diplomatic efforts had reached a dead end, "because of a lack of commitment to international legitimacy".
But US officials are not interested in seeing the matter return to UN corridors. "War was the last and worst option, but now we have it and we intend to accomplish our objectives," noted Welch. "That means the disarmament of Iraq, because that could not be done through the UN Security Council. We will now do it with our coalition partners. And in that process, the Saddam Hussein regime will be removed," he stated.
Another sticking point is Washington's request to several countries to expel Iraqi diplomats, to which Cairo has not been responsive. Maher did not deny that Egypt had received such a request, but said, "We are not even thinking about this matter." The Egyptian government is also critical of US plans for the reconstruction of Iraq after the war because it does not wish to see the Bush administration set up the entire country from scratch.
"I would like to stress that Iraq is an independent country, and that we insist on respect for its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity," Maher said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Cairo is working with other Arab capitals to try to put an end to the war, but differences continue to plague Arab meetings. Kuwaiti Ambassador to the Arab League Ahmed Al-Kulaibi met with Maher shortly before the Arab ministers' meeting on Monday, in an effort to win support for the clause condemning Iraq aggressions in the meeting's final communiqué. "Aggressions took place against our country even before one shot was fired," Al-Kulaibi told reporters after meeting Maher. "They reached areas that are more than 120 kilometres away from front lines. How can they say they were heading for American troops, yet reach industrial and residential areas?" he said.
Egypt, however, believed that the focus of the meetings should remain on the invasion of Iraq. "The main problem that we are discussing is the issue of war in Iraq," Maher said. He stressed that public and official sentiments of indignation towards what is taking place in Iraq are identical. "We, too, want to stop this war and resolve the matter peacefully," he said. "We are trying to find the means to translate this into political steps to achieve this goal."
C a p t i o n : Mubarak discusses the war on Iraq with his top political aides on Saturday
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 27 March - 2 April 2003 (Issue No. 631)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/631/eg1.htm