Minister Aboul Gheit has come under intense fire in Egypt over the past few days. This may be due to several causes, but I do now want to look into them now, otherwise I would be like those who have pretended to forget the war on Gaza and waged a media conflict on Egypt. I think our foreign minister – even if he were not Aboul Gheit - still needs to be helped by the different voices of his country, as he is leading a war on more than one front. Instead, he must respond to those attacking us from across the borders and spend a considerable amount of time denying many things about him and his performance. Indeed, there is no time for such things, as they have nothing to do with what this country really has to face. The problem of those who criticize Aboul Gheit – and they have the right to do so, of course – is perhaps that they always compare his performance to that of Egypt's former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa. Yet, these two men are two completely different stories and neither of them has to imitate the other's performance or work. If this were the case, the solution would be very simple. Amr Moussa should be appointed Egypt's foreign minister once again to see whether the problem can be solved or not. The foreign minister in Egypt and everywhere else in the world does not make his or her country's foreign policy. Instead, he co-makes it along with many more involved parties. The minister can give advice, but at the end of the day he must adhere to a policy that his country has been following since before he was appointed. I have been following the minister's statements and declarations since the start of the current Gaza conflict. So far, the minister has always expressed as strongly as possible Egypt's stance on the attacks launched on us by the most despicable people on the one hand and on Israel's cowardice on the other. Indeed, Aboul Gheit was the only one who replied out loud to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, saying that he (Nasrallah) does not understand anything. The minister also said that if Nasrallah wants to maintain some mutual sympathy between us (a result of the 2006 war against Israel), he must remain polite when talking about Egypt from somewhere in Southern Lebanon and must be totally aware of Cairo's size, status and role. Aboul Gheit is fighting in his ministry like any soldier fights in any battle, with great skills. Last Monday evening, he spoke at a TV program (just one of the many he has been invited to) and showed he knew very well what he had to say and when to say it, with no ambiguity, coherently, trying to talk to people's minds before playing with their emotions or instincts. Let me say over and over again; Aboul Gheit is not Amr Moussa. If we want to evaluate objectively this minister's performance in facing Israel's meanness and the Arabs' blackmails, we must forget Amr Moussa as foreign minister. It would be very easy for Aboul Gheit to play with people's nerves if this were necessary and it is not fair to blame him for others' negligence.
