In a seeming reversal of his earlier statements, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said ousted President Hosni Mubarak should be prosecuted and must face a fair trial. Moussa had earlier denounced the idea when asked whether Mubarak should be prosecuted during an interview with the Spanish Daily El Pais on 21 February. “Why? We will see if there is anything against him. But for now, he is retired and should be treated like an ex-president, with all due respect,” Moussa said. El Pais's Georgina Higueras, who interviewed Moussa, wrote that he had described the revolution throughout the interview merely as “the events.” The potential presidential candidate is facing sharp public criticism accusing him of subservience to the former regime, under which he served as minister of foreign affairs from 1991 to 2001. During a symposium at Tanta University Wednesday, Moussa said he was never a member of Mubarak's National Democratic Party. He also denied he had ever asked demonstrators to break up the Tahrir Square protests during the revolution. Moussa said Egyptian society needs to be restructured in the aftermath of the revolution and that Egyptians can reach their goals and lead the region once again. Rebuilding, he said, requires will and hard work to transition to stability and then prosperity. He also said the first steps toward stability begin with electing a new president and drafting a new constitution.
