CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said the United States and the West were losing credibility in the Middle East because they were dragging their feet on a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas. In an interview with the Egyptian magazine October, released on Thursday, Mubarak also said it would be impossible to implement quickly a UN resolution which requires Hezbollah to disarm, one of the steps Israel and the United States want to see in a political settlement of the month-old conflict. He dismissed Washington s talk of a new Middle East , saying it ignored what he called the real problem, which is the collapse of attempts at peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Foot-dragging on a ceasefire and the continuation of the Israeli aggression detract from the credibility of the United States and the West in the region, Mubarak said. The United States has not moved to a sufficient extent and with the necessary speed to contain the situation, he added. Washington has said it takes time to negotiate lasting security arrangements for south Lebanon. Analysts and diplomats say the United States has been trying to give Israel more time to damage Hezbollah and claim military success. Israel and the United States want the Lebanese army, backed by international forces, to move into south Lebanon and supervise the disarmament of Hezbollah, one of the steps envisaged in UN Security Council resolution 1559 of 2004. Mubarak said: Long months have passed without full implementation of resolution 1559. It is inconceivable that what was not achieved in past years and months could be achieved in the midst of the current crisis and within a few weeks. That will not happen by diktats contained in UN Security Council resolutions which lack balance, but by taking into account Lebanese realities and concerns, he added. Regarding the new Middle East concept promoted by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice early in the fighting, Mubarak said: To talk about the new Middle East or, before that, the Greater Middle East , ignores the real problem in the region, which is the suspension of the peace process. That leads to a rise in feelings of despair, frustration and extremism, he added. The Egyptian state news agency MENA carried the complete text of the interview. -Reuters
