DURING a three-day trip to Brussels Mrs Suzanne Mubarak called for a new momentum in cultural dialogue around the Mediterranean and beyond. The trip, which included meetings with members of the Belgian government and Senate in addition to leading European officials, focussed on the need to pursue a more ambitious plan to "restore the spirit of dialogue and inspiration around the Mediterranean". In keynote addresses made before the Belgium Senate and leading European institutes Mrs Mubarak expressed concern over the levels of tolerance and mutual acceptance, and insisted that efforts need to be exerted to "establish the concepts of tolerance and mutual understanding". The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, she said, has made a number of significant contributions on this front, hosting regular meetings that bring together intellectuals and scholars from around the Mediterranean. Like its ancient predecessor the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina, promised Mrs Mubarak, will be a synonym for diversity, culture, dialogue and education. Its objective, she said, is to build bridges between neighbours and underscore the values of peace and tolerance. On the home front, Mrs Mubarak said that the decision taken by President Hosni Mubarak to call for the amendment of Article 76 of the constitution -- allowing for a directly contested multi-candidate elections -- came as the culmination of a year of research and consultations. The decision, she continued, came as a response to the aspirations of the Egyptian people and in line with a continued effort taken by the state to "widen" the scope of democracy in Egypt. This step, said Mrs Mubarak, is not the end of Egypt's pursuit of democracy, but the first of many steps. And it is a process, insisted Mrs Mubarak, in which Egyptian women -- whose National Day is celebrated on 16 March -- have an integral role to play. Efforts to promote higher and more effective political participation by women, she said, will be intensified during the coming weeks and months in the run-up to autumn's presidential and legislative elections.
