WHILE many of the nation's political parties come to the support of former atomic energy watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei in his declared drive for change in Egypt, some of this country's opposition parties buck the trend. The opposition parties, which have seen ElBaradei winning even more backers for his demands day after day, say the nuclear weapons expert “isn't fit for ruling Egypt”. “He has lived for more than 30 years outside this country,” said Wahid el-Oqsori, the chief of opposition Egypt's Arab Socialist Party. “He has never shown interest in whatever happens in this country,” he told The Gazette in an interview. El-Oqsori, a former army officer, and a handful of other opposition leaders are organising meetings and sending faxes and statements to newspapers to tell them of their opposition to ElBaradei's presidential bid. They cast doubts over the man's links with active international players, such as the US and Israel, saying he might be backed by these countries, which do not aim for real reform in this populous country. In this, some people say that el-Oqsori and his colleagues are typical Egyptians, most of whom are diehard believers in what is called the “conspiracy theory”. In an interview with the daily talk show “10 pm” on the private Dream TV a few days ago, ElBaradei said he was America's sworn enemy and that the US opposed his candidacy for a second term at the top of the International Atomic Energy Agency. “We shouldn't talk about marginal issues at this moment,” wrote Hassan Nafa'a, a political analyst, in the daily independent newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm yesterday. “It's better to talk now about how to make the required change,” he added. But this does not seem to be what el- Oqsori and his colleagues think of at this moment. They say ElBaradei has not presented Egyptians with any new ideas on how they can improve their lives in a tangible sense and handle foreign policy. “He must renounce the peace treaty with Israel,” el-Oqsori said, referring to Egypt's peace accord signed in 1979. “He must also end corruption and push this country forward economically,” he added. Meanwhile, a coalition of four opposition parties yesterday cancelled a preparatory meeting for a conference on constitutional amendments. The parties …quot; Al-Wafd, the leftist Unionist Party, the Nasserists and the Democratic Front …quot; said they would hold a three-day conference starting on March 13.
