May  8, 2001

Mubarak: No War, Peace Inevitable 

    In an interview with Al-Seyasa newspaper to be published on Tuesday, Mubarak described the situation in the Middle East as dangerous, cautioning that the whole region could explode but not with wars.

    Mubarak made it clear that wars neither solve issues nor end conflicts, adding that settlement can only be reached through negotiations.

    The Egyptian leader said he had advised Sharon but the Israeli Prime Minister has been trapped in the option of using force and lacked a vision for real negotiations.

    Violence begets violence and terrorism, Mubarak stressed.

    He added that the elimination of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) or the departure of President Yasser Arafat would be only tantamount to more violence, terrorism and chaos that would affect all parties concerned.

    Mubarak called on the US and Europe to play a more active role in the Middle East peace process to protect their own interests.

    Mubarak reiterated commitment of Egypt and Arab countries to peace but underlined that the 1967 war would never happen again.

    Should the Israelis dare to take any similar action, the Israeli people will suffer the same damage as the Egyptians, Mubarak said.

    Addressing the Israeli people, Mubarak stressed that peace is indispensable.

    On the occupied Syrian territories, Mubarak said that he told the Israelis and the US administration of President George W. Bush that the Syrians would never cede a single inch of their national soil.

    “The regular convocation of Arab summit meetings on annual basis will help solve any Arab conflicts,” said Mubarak.

    The Egyptian leader underlined the importance of the economic conference to be hosted by Egypt in November and noted that it would mull over the establishment of the sought-after common Arab market.

    On the Egyptian economic progress, Mubarak said he is closely monitoring the economic situation in Egypt.

    He added that Egypt enjoys a safe reserve of foreign currency which ranges between dlr. 15-17 billion.

    Mubarak described as reassuring the level of production, foreign investment and tourism in the country.

    Mubarak said Egypt and Israel had signed a peace accord and any single assault can trigger war.

    He underlined that the Palestinian issue would never be solved through war.

    Mubarak said that his repeated assertion that the 1967 war would never happen again came after Israeli Minister of infrastructure Avigador Liebermann threatened to re-occupy Sinai and bombard the High Dam installations.

    The Egyptians do not want war but they are ready to defend their national soil in case of any attacks, thundered Mubarak.

    Egypt had lost thousands of young lives and billions of pounds in previous wars, he recalled.

    Mubarak said that when former US President Bill Clinton launched his peace initiative, he told him to listen to the Palestinians` viewpoints.

    The Egyptian leader said that he had stressed to Clinton that he could not press the Palestinians into accepting unfair concessions.

    Mubarak noted that he had repeatedly told the Palestinians to keep on negotiating.

    Asked whether certain parties are seeking to contain the Egyptian political and economic role, Mubarak said that Egypt puts Arab interests on top of priorities and actions.

    He asserted that he usually performs no rash actions but rather studies any decisions thoroughly, taking into consideration consequences and outcomes.

    Asked whether the Israeli people want peace, Mubarak said that the Israelis do want to live in peace but some of their leaders tend to disrupt this will.

    The Egyptian leader stressed that peace is inevitable.

    Mubarak noted that Camp David contained a framework to solve the Palestinian issue which, if implemented at that time, the Palestinians would have restored their territories.

    “The Camp David framework stipulated an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and the West Bank to security posts, to be agreed upon later, at a time when only 16 or 17 settlements were in existence,” Mubarak said.

    He stressed that Sharon can never drive the Palestinians out of their territories.

    The Egyptian leader noted that the Palestinians were driven to despair by Sharon's policies.

    Asked why he always accuses the US of biased stances in favour of Israel, Mubarak said that there is no effective Arab lobby inside the US and the Arab community in the US is disintegrating and needs to be activated.

    Mubarak said that Bush used to give the Middle East issue the second priority but the US grew more convinced of the dangers affecting regional stability and its own interests.

    He believed that the US action is not enough or does not match the increasing deterioration resulting from the Israeli policies.

    The Egyptian President wondered how could Sharon think that he could stop violence through the use of artillery, warplanes and tanks.

    Mubarak again said Israeli claims that Egypt provides the Palestinians with weapons were totally ungrounded.

    He branded such claims as sheer lies, reiterating Egypt's commitment to agreed-upon matters.

    Mubarak noted that he seeks peace and stability and is willing cooperate, asserting that just peace would realize the common interest of all peoples as it provides opportunities for development and progress.

    He made it clear that Arab leaders are recognizing the importance of the Arab common market.

    Asked whether the resistance in south Lebanon can be taken as model to be adopted in Palestine, Mubarak said that it can't. Events in the Palestinian territories were triggered by Israelis' failure to implement signed agreements, thus leading to violence and counter-violence.

    On whether Sharon would remain in office, Mubarak said that this matter rests with the Israeli people.

    Sharon was elected on the platform of providing security to the Israelis and if he fails they will give him up, he noted.

    On criticism levelled at his Prime Minister Dr. Atef Ebeid, Mubarak said that he personally follows up the economic situation and criticism to Ebeid`s government.

    Mubarak said that there are many things being studied by Ebeid`s government but their impact might not be seen on the short run.

    “Egypt had a rapid economic and political open-door policy after a long period of a closed-society pattern but things are under control” said Mubarak

    Egyptian ministers of economy and finance hold regular meetings with businessmen, chambers of commerce members and other economic entities, he added.

    “On the taxation system, Mubarak said that there are directives to solve tax problems through judiciary channels. People should pay taxes to help carry out development projects,” he said.

    The Egyptian government seeks to promote export capabilities, said Mubarak, adding that the economic and monetary reforms and development process have contributed to increasing Egypt's reserve of foreign currency.

    Mubarak described the electrical linkage project with Jordan and Syria as a model of Arab and regional cooperation that would cut down costs of electric supply.