'No hope in Sharon'

While commemorating the July Revolution, President Mubarak brought the situation in the Palestinian territories into perspective, writes Nevine Khalil
On Monday Egypt celebrated the 49th anniversary of the 23 July 1952 Revolution which transformed Egypt from a monarchy into a republic. In remarks broadcast to the nation by radio and television, President Hosni Mubarak said that despite the passing of nearly a half a century since the revolution, it still "represents one of the most prominent events in the history of humanity, the region and the world. For Egypt, it is a landmark of change."
Mubarak described the revolution as "an inspiration for many peoples struggling for independence and liberty; its influence spread beyond the Arab world," and it became a paradigm for peoples in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Paying further homage to the the Free Officers revolution led by Gamal Abdel-Nasser who became the second president of the republic, Mubarak said that the revolution "heralded a new era in history in which colonialism was stamped out in many parts of the world."
Mubarak noted, however, that the socialist slogans of the revolution were not meant to be "eternal, but rather that policy should embody a wise mixture of heritage and modernity to ensure progress domestically and success in facing challenges from abroad." Mubarak added that Egypt has upheld "the essence" of the July Revolution, but allowed itself the manoeuvrability and initiative to correct the path of the revolution when the need arose.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, the president witnessed on Sunday the graduation of nearly 300 cadets at the Military Academy. As Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Mubarak traditionally attends the graduation ceremonies of military and police colleges.
In his broadcast to the nation, Mubarak said that over the past two decades the world's political map changed considerably and the effects of the technological, communications and information revolution have multiplied. "The new world order advocates mutual interests and non- isolationism. It rejects war and violence, and advocates reaching solutions through dialogue and compromise without abrogating legal rights and fundamentals," he said.
He added that one of the pillars of the revolution was to ensure continued development to benefit all social strata, "but this does not prevent the private sector from being a reliable partner in development, shouldering its social as well as economic responsibilities."
Another pillar of the revolution, continued Mubarak, was to "nurture" Arab nationalism, and pay close attention to issues that determine the fate of the Arab nation. "Today the foremost of these is the Middle East question, for which we exert our utmost to reach a peaceful resolution on the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese tracks."
The peace process has been a top foreign policy priority for Cairo, and last week Mubarak listed the reasons why efforts by the Americans, Europeans, Arabs and Russians have failed to end the 10-month-old cycle of violence and relaunch peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis. He told the Chinese News Agency on 18 July that Tel Aviv's intransigence is at the heart of regional tension. "First, Israel's policy of siege and closure increases the frustration and despair of the Palestinians; second, Israel refuses to relaunch talks or implement agreements; third, Israel's insistence on 'zero violence' before it sits at the negotiating table [is unrealistic]," he said.
In the interview, Mubarak lambasted Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, describing him as "a man who knows nothing but killing and war. Sharon advocates aggression and by nature does not accept peace." Sounding an even more pessimistic note, Mubarak said, "To be very honest, I see no hope in Sharon and his cabinet which includes a number of fanatics. These characters who threaten war and killing are unbalanced and dialogue with them is futile."
Mubarak said that the Palestinian leader has made "a major effort to reduce the violence, but [Arafat] cannot control violence 100 per cent." Explaining that there are many areas which are not under Palestinian control, or only partially so, Mubarak said, "Israel must admit that Arafat has reduced the violence in the areas under his control as best he could." He noted that this "allows for the implementation of the [recommendations of the] Mitchell report, without which we would go round in circles."
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