Al-Masry Al-Youm has learnt that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised President Hosni Mubarak, during his meeting with him in Sharm el-Sheikh on May 11, to stop the campaign against the nomination of Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni for the post of UNESCO Director-General in the elections slated for next October. Knowledgeable sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that President Mubarak asked Netanyahu to support the Egyptian candidate, but Netanyahu said: "We will not support him, but we will stop the campaign against him," noting that this does not mean the Jewish lobby in the United States and in the West would do the same. He pointed to an article in Le Monde, a few days ago, by three Jewish intellectuals requesting Mubarak to withdraw the nomination.
The sources said that the US representative in UNESCO has protested to a number of ambassadors in the organization against their support for the Egyptian candidate. They added that the US representative and the current UNESCO Director are lobbying against Hosni's nomination. They said: "The United States put great pressure on Brazil to nominate a candidate against Hosni, but Brazil refused on the ground that its decision is strategic and that it does not look at Hosni as being an Arab or Muslim candidate."
Farouk Hosni described Brazil's stance, when supporting his candidacy for the post of UNESCO Director-General, as just and honorable. He said he also sensed support from the Latin American countries during a meeting of the ministers of culture of Latin America and the Arab countries that was held recently in Rio de Janeiro, where he gave many press conferences for the Brazilian media. Hossam Nassar, Hosni's campaign manager, said the participants at the UNESCO meeting have welcomed Hosni's nomination for the post of UNESCO Director and have welcomed the attitude of Brazil and Chile whom supported the Egyptian candidate. They are calling on the rest of South America to take after them, as Hosni entertains the respect and appreciation of the whole world.
Haaretz said Netanyahu made a secret deal with President Mubarak, during their recent meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, to stop the campaign against the nomination of Hosni for UNESCO Director in return for similar Egyptian good gestures like the Israel's good gesture in regards to the Egyptian Minister of Culture. Haaretz also said that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs had launched a fierce international campaign against Hosni since Tzipi Livni was foreign minister. The campaign got more ferocious under the current Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. They based their argument on what Hosni said about burning any Israeli books he would find in Egypt and on his statements that the Jews have no culture or heritage, including accusations that the Jews steal from others, in addition to Hosni being against cultural normalization between Cairo and Tel Aviv. The Israeli daily said the secret deal between President Mubarak and the Israeli Prime Minister was struck despite Lieberman's objection. A high source with the office of the Israeli Prime Minister said: "Netanyahu took the deal when President Mubarak and a number of European leaders personally asked him to. Such good gesture from Israel will be part of a broader and deeper understanding between the two countries, whereby Egypt will have to show similar good gestures in the future. We have gained something in return, as we would not have agreed to this deal if it had not served our interests."
Haaretz also said that on May 14, a few days after Netanyahu's meeting with Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Israeli Foreign Ministry sent a top-secret cable to all embassies abroad with new instructions in regards to Hosni's nomination, adding that the officials of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs were astonished at the Prime Minister's decision but had to comply.
The cable read: "With reference to Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to Egypt, at the request of President Mubarak and based on understandings with Egypt, Israel decided to stop its opposition to the nomination of Farouk Hosni as Director-General of UNESCO and to change its position of rejection." The cable asked the Israeli ambassadors overseas not to take the initiative and justify the matter unless they are asked first. For its part, the daily continued its attack on Hosni and on Netanyahu, saying: "Netanyahu has repeatedly expressed his interest in normalizing relations with the Arab world, but it seems he forgot that the Egyptian Minister of Culture is the last person to accept such cooperation and normalization."
