Culture Minister Farouk Hosni, Egypt's candidate for the post of UNESCO Director General, commented on the decision to field European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner as candidate for the same post. "This time, the post should be taken up by someone from the Arab region. Europe should have known this and should give a chance to the Arabs to lead this international organization. The Arabs played a role in setting it up, yet they've never headed it so far," he said.
Hosni told Al-Masry Al-Youm that, "We're on the verge of a fierce battle and we hope to win. There are huge obstacles, though, as Jewish communities are launching attacks to prevent the Egyptian candidate from winning." He called everyone to behave reasonably so that the dialogue of civilization does not turn into a conflict among civilizations and religions.
"A chance must be given to the southern world to head the UNESCO, as Europe has already taken up this post many times. A chance must also be given to the Arabs and Muslims to discuss their problems by themselves instead of them being discussed by the West. "If a Muslim Arab wins, he will contribute to building bridges of understanding between Islam and the West and to achieving the peace that everyone desires." Hosni then addressed those who accused him of running after the post. "For twenty-two years I've had the best job in the world, Culture Minister of Egypt; a country with a great cultural heritage. This has really been a great honor for me," he said. Shortly before the closure of applications for the post, Austria announced the nomination of Benita Ferrero-Waldner. According to observers, this is an attempt to split European votes, as there is more than one candidate from the same region. Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said he was confident France would back Farouk Hosni. France, though, said it had taken no decision in this regard yet. Speaking to France Press news agency, Aboul Gheit said he understood that France would back Farouk. He then added that the French had always expressed their support and understanding for the Egyptian candidate and had made their decision. At least, this is what he said he had understood. The spokesman of the French Foreign Ministry Eric Chevalier said France had made no decision yet, and Paris would not declare its stance for the moment. "The election will be held next October, so let's give a chance to each candidate to explain their program. As for France, we won't unveil the candidate it will vote for," he affirmed. In a report printed yesterday, the British newspaper Times said that, with applications closing tonight, Hosni remains front-runner among seven candidates to succeed current UNESCO Director. The newspaper said Israel had decided to stop opposing to his candidacy and that he is also backed by the Arabs. "If the furore in France and Germany spreads he may lose," the newspaper adds. It also points out that "Hosni had, until recently, been deemed an easy choice to succeed Koichiro Matsuura."
