Peacemaking as a weapon

(photo: AP)
Peacemaking as a weapon
Confident that no Arab country will be targeted by the US, Cairo focuses on peacemaking in the region. Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelaty report
While supporting current US-led action against terrorism, Egypt recommended progress in the Middle East peace process as the starting point to stem worldwide terrorism. Giving the Palestinians their rights as well as statehood is the best way to ensure stability and security in the region, according to President Hosni Mubarak.
Mubarak said that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's announcement this week about lifting the blockade suffocating the Palestinian territories should have been made much earlier, and expressed hope that the prime minister's pledge was sincere. "I hope Sharon implements what he says and that it will be a step on the road to peace and tranquillity," Mubarak told Israeli television on Sunday. The uncertainty about Sharon's commitment to peace arises from the fact that "he makes promises but then they evaporate," according to Mubarak, who added that Israel "acts as if [it] doesn't want peace."
He counselled Sharon that as long as the blockade continues, "violence will continue. We should not kid ourselves, the people are desperate. Lifting the siege will give them hope and restore calm ahead of negotiations."
Also on Sunday, Mubarak told leading Arab journalists that Sharon believes in "security more than he believes in achieving a just peace." Mubarak spoke to members of the Arab Journalists Federation's (AJF) general secretariat about the vast contrast between slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin -- who signed the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians in 1993 and peace with Jordan in 1994 -- and the incumbent Sharon. "There is a big difference. Rabin had political vision, but Sharon knows nothing except war and killing," noted Mubarak. Mubarak had told Israeli television earlier in the day that the Egyptian ambassador to Israel was recalled last November because public opinion was enraged by Israeli aggression against the Palestinians, adding that a new ambassador will be appointed "when the situation is calmer."
With British Prime Minister Tony Blair last Thursday, Mubarak discussed the impact of the Middle East conflict on world terrorism. Although he believes that nearly 80 per cent of world terror has its roots in the Palestinian problem, Mubarak was non-specific during his interview with Israeli television about whether Osama Bin Laden's ardent support for the Palestinian cause was doing more harm than good. "It is Arafat's opinion that Bin Laden is harming the Palestinian cause. We have nothing to do with Bin Laden. We have never dealt with him before," said Mubarak.
On Monday, Blair received Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in London for further talks on the basis of his discussions in Cairo. Mubarak had made clear to Britain that "we should not let Sharon kill and destroy." Mubarak further noted that Sharon was the only Israeli prime minister with whom he has only spoken once since he came to power.
Mubarak said he was encouraged by both US President George Bush's and Blair's support for the creation of a Palestinian state, adding that the birth of Palestine "is a must if Israel wants peace and coexistence with the Arabs." He welcomed the Bush administration's "new direction" on a Palestinian state, but said it must be "translated into practical steps" by implementing the Mitchell report and re-launching final status negotiations.
He denied on Israeli television knowledge of a new American peace proposal, adding that even if there were one, it would probably be the brainchild of the Israelis. "If there is one, Israel is the one that drew it up -- this is what we know from experience," said Mubarak. He added that there was no need for the good offices of a third party, if both sides are capable of committing themselves to negotiations. "Israel does not seem to like direct negotiations, however," said Mubarak.
At the same time, Mubarak encouraged Sharon to take "calculated risks" for the sake of his people and peace.
Mubarak looked forward to reviving confidence between the Palestinians and Israelis, and urged Israel to accept the idea that East Jerusalem must be under Arab sovereignty. "Believe me, just continue saying that [East] Jerusalem must be under Israeli control, if you don't want peace," Mubarak told Israeli television.
Mubarak stressed that it was "unacceptable" that Israel retains sovereignty over non-Jewish quarters. "They will fight you for another 100 years and you will lose everything," he warned. "Leave the land you occupied in 1967."
Mubarak added that Syria, under Bashar Al-Assad, is willing to make peace with Israel as long as all Syrian territories occupied in 1967 are returned to its sovereignty. "Al-Assad cannot give up an inch of his land, especially when Egypt and Jordan have taken back all their land," stressed Mubarak.
Despite reported assurances, clouds of confusion and concern remain in Arab skies regarding possible strikes against such Arab countries as Iraq and Syria. Blair said last week that there are no plans to target Iraq unless there is "absolute evidence" of complicity.
The US delivered a warning to Iraq last week, in a letter from US ambassador to the UN, John Negorponte, to the Iraqi mission. The letter warned Iraqi President Saddam Hussein that the US would launch military strikes against Iraq if he attempted to provide assistance to terrorist forces in Afghanistan. A similar warning was delivered to Syrian officials last Thursday, this time from US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Lee Armitage. He said if Syria refuses to comply with US demands to act against terrorist organisations, "the consequences might be whatever the coalition finds worthy, and it runs the gamut from isolation to financial investigation, all the way up through possible military action." Bush said Washington expects from Syria more than just words of support.
Mubarak reassured Arab journalists that he does not believe Syria, or any other Arab country, will be the target of US strikes. He downplayed the significance of last week's letter sent by the US to the UN Security Council, implying it will strike terrorists anywhere in the world. "We should not read too much in that letter," said Mubarak, adding that he reassured Blair last week that Libya neither harbours terrorists nor possesses chemical weapons and that Syria does not allow terrorists to operate from its territories. "I doubt very much that the US will strike Arab countries, and I told the Americans they should not strike countries in the region," said Mubarak.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher also denied having heard about possible strikes against Syria, telling reporters on Saturday that "we are sure the US is not going to target any Arab country and we say that any targeting of an Arab country will be extremely dangerous."
Complicating matters, investigations into the anthrax outbreak in the US seem to be pointing towards Iraq. US intelligence believes Iraq has both the technology and supplies of anthrax to catalyse such an outbreak. Nevertheless, these suspicions have yet to be confirmed. "I cannot confirm that. The investigation is still underway," said David Welch, US ambassador to Cairo, after meeting with Maher on Monday. At the same time, Welch told Al-Ahram Weekly that his country will "continue this campaign [against terror], using every tool available to us, not just military, because this problem goes beyond Afghanistan."
Maher is scheduled to meet today (Thursday) with Italian Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero. The two will discuss the latest developments in the fight against terrorism, as well as the Middle East peace process and cooperation between the two sides on European-African issues.
Even if Arab countries are not targeted, a prolonged US war against terrorism, whipping up anti-American sentiment in this part of the world, may backfire and, instead of eliminating terrorism, spread the plague to other countries. Maher refused to speculate on the possibility of such a scenario, telling the Weekly that "I think you [Weekly] should address this issue with the Americans."
President Mubarak cautioned on Israeli television that if the US expanded the scope of its war on terrorism to include Arab countries, this would harm its interests. "People will say that Israel, or the Jewish lobby, was behind the strikes. I don't think there is a need for such action," said Mubarak. According to his "reading" of the situation, the US will not use ground forces in Afghanistan and the back-and-forth threats between Washington and Bin Laden were "a psychological war."
During his meeting with the AJF, Mubarak again warned the West against giving refuge to wanted militants. Blair said in Cairo last week that his country has reconsidered its political asylum laws, "although gaps remain." Mubarak reiterated his warning to the West regarding "the presence of these elements in their countries, because they represent a constant, dormant danger to them."
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