Cairo expects the capture of Saddam to accelerate the pace of the power handover to the Iraqis and pave the way for a constructive peace process, writes Nevine Khalil News of the capture of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by US troops on Sunday should usher in a new phase of stability and security in the region, according to Egyptian officials. In statements to Al-Ahram newspaper published on Tuesday, President Hosni Mubarak said he hoped that Saddam's capture would "provide a good opportunity for the transfer of power to the Iraqi people, and that the transfer should begin according to a specific schedule". Mubarak added that Egypt was "willing to help all Iraqi authorities to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people. We hope that this will be the beginning of a healing process for the Arabs and Muslims as a whole". He added that Saddam's arrest would also be the "closing chapter in the Iran-Iraq War, as well as the bitterness and ramifications resulting from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait." Mubarak and US President George W Bush had spoken by telephone shortly after Saddam's capture was made public on Sunday. They discussed the situation in the region in light of this development, and agreed to remain in close contact during the next phase. Before the conversation, Mubarak had told reporters that Bush had been "very helpful and wants to assist with issues, despite the fact that he is being criticised in the media. It serves no purpose to criticise [Bush]." Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher also received a call from his US counterpart Colin Powell on the same day to talk about the situation in the Middle East. "Saddam's regime has fallen along with all its symbols," noted Maher. "We hope that this will be a step towards assisting the Iraqi people to rule themselves and build their country independently." In his interview with Al-Ahram, Mubarak noted that for several years Egypt had exerted a lot of effort to avoid such a "painful end" in Iraq, including during the invasion of Kuwait and regarding the issue of inspections for weapons of mass destruction. "Neither Saddam nor his cronies listened to our opinions or advice," said Mubarak, "and now we are seeing the outcome of that attitude in Iraq; both with regard to the Iraqi people and Saddam himself." For Mubarak, the fall of the 'Ace of Spades' in Iraq presents "an opportunity for progress in the political conflict in the region -- the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," he told Al-Ahram. He hoped that Bush would be able to "strongly forge ahead on the Arab-Israeli conflict" and committed Cairo to cooperating with Washington to reach that goal. "Egypt continues to work hard to bring the Palestinians and Israelis to the negotiating table to restore calm and stability in the region," asserted Mubarak. In the past few months, Egypt has been working hard to get both sides back to the negotiating table within the guidelines of the roadmap. On Tuesday, a delegation of Egyptian mediators travelled to Gaza on a three-day visit to hold more talks with the Palestinians. They hope to reach a joint plan of action between the Palestinian factions and the Palestinian leadership as part of Cairo's effort to mediate a truce. Last week, Mubarak met with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on the sidelines of a communications conference in Geneva; a few weeks earlier, he had spoken by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "There is hope for peace," Mubarak told reporters on Sunday, "but both sides have to make an effort. We are encouraging the two sides in this direction." Speaking during a tour of the 10th of Ramadan industrial city, Mubarak said that the Palestinians and Israelis "need to be objective and not place prerequisites, but rather prepare to sit at the negotiating table again". In talks with Germany's Joschka Fischer, Maher presented Egypt's views on how progress can be made on the Palestinian-Israeli track. "We expect the Israelis to take steps towards paving the way for the relaunching of negotiations," Maher told reporters after the meeting on Tuesday. Fischer applauded Egypt's mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire, emphasising the importance of relaunching talks between the Palestinians and Israelis. Fischer's rapid tour of the region also took him to Jordan and Israel, and is his fourth visit to the region this year. Maher and Fischer also discussed developments in Iraq and agreed that Saddam's capture should speed up the pace of handover of power to the Iraqi people. Fischer described Saddam's capture as "a very important event" and hoped that this would decrease the level of violence and hasten the political process in Iraq. Mubarak had met Fischer in the morning to discuss European efforts on the peace process and Egypt's efforts to mediate between the Palestinians. Also on Fischer's agenda during the tour is the Syrian issue, particularly in light of Bush's approval of the Syria Accountability Act at a time when Damascus has indicated it wishes to return to negotiations with Israel. Maher criticised the act on Saturday saying that, "Egypt has said several times that dialogue is the only way to solve the problems between states." He added that, "threats and the imposition of sanctions are never a way to resolve problems." Mubarak said he doubted the US would impose sanctions on Syria. " [Bush] could decide to apply the act or not, but I doubt there will be need, since Syria wants to relaunch negotiations," he noted on Sunday. Mubarak said he gave Bush a message that, "Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is ready to negotiate to settle the problems because nobody wants to create a problem for his people." The meeting with the German top diplomat on Tuesday was followed by another with the Japanese envoy to the Middle East, Masahiko Kofomora, which focussed mainly on Iraq. Egypt and Japan are cooperating closely in the reconstruction of Iraq's medical and power sectors, especially the building and running of new hospitals using Egyptian and Japanese expertise. Japan is also sending non-combatant troops to Iraq soon which, according to the Japanese envoy, "will only provide humanitarian assistance". At the same time, Masahiko Kofomora argued in support of continued US occupation of Iraq despite the capture of Saddam: "There is still a need for the US and alliance troops to remain in order to guarantee security in Iraq," he said. On the issue of the peace process, Japan has traditionally been the purser for the peace process, but recently it has begun hosting meetings between the two sides to rebuild confidence. Cairo too has been talking to both sides, which is why Mubarak met with Shalom last week despite the fact that Egypt withdrew its ambassador from Tel Aviv three years ago because of Israel's aggressions against the Palestinians. While in Geneva, Mubarak took the opportunity to speak with the leader of another country which severed diplomatic ties with Egypt over two decades ago: Mubarak met with Iranian President Mohamed Khatami on 10 December for the first such summit since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. After the landmark meeting, Khatami stated that Iran and Egypt continued to have "certain differences of opinion" although Egypt's "viewpoints on issues such as Iraq and Palestine were close to those of Iran". Speaking to Iran's official news agency IRNA on Friday, Khatami said that his talks with Mubarak also dealt with the "historical affinities between the two nations", and that both leaders "agreed that relations between the two countries should be promoted". Iran and Egypt severed diplomatic ties in 1980, a year after Cairo gave asylum to the deposed Shah Mohamed Reza Pahlavi and signed a peace agreement with Israel. In turn, Iran angered Egypt by naming a main thoroughfare in Tehran after the assassin of President Anwar El- Sadat. While relations deteriorated considerably as a result of Egypt's support for Iraq during its 1980- 1988 war with Iran, trade and other ties have been improving since the 1990s. Several meetings between the foreign ministers of both countries have taken place in the last few years, but without leading to a resumption of normal relations. In January, Mubarak said that ties could not be normalised as long as Tehran gave sanctuary to "Egyptian terrorists" and continued to glorify the name of the former president's slayer Khaled El-Islambouli. Asked about the encounter on Sunday, Mubarak said that, "some people believe that when I meet with an official all issues will be resolved instantaneously; but these things take time." He added, however, that contacts with Tehran would continue and expected that relations, in time, would be "very good". Khatami agreed that "both countries can move forward within the framework of mutual understanding and goodwill," he told IRNA. In fact, Iran on Monday announced that Mubarak was invited to attend a D-8 meeting next February aimed at promoting cooperation between Iran, Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Malaysia and Nigeria. According to Maher, the Geneva meeting provided impetus for improving relations between the two countries and for working towards full diplomatic relations. "It is necessary for the two parties to undertake additional and preparatory action to reach what we want," he told reporters on Saturday.
