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Sunday, February 22, 1998
President Hosni Mubarak today said he still calls upon Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions. Interviewed by CNN, President Mubauak, however, warned against the dire consequences, of any strike on Iraq, for stability and security in the region. The Egyptian leader told the network's office director in Israel Walter Rogers that everyone in the Arab world, and not just mediamen, felt that the US was applying double standards while dealing with Iraq. "Everybody says if Iraq does not commit to UN resolutions, Israel was doing the same thing...And if the objective is to destroy Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, why then the US does not seek to do the same to Israel's arsenal of weapons of mass destruction," President Mubarak cited questions forwarded to him by university students, intellectuals and the man in the street. "I personally find no answers to these questions," he said. Asked if he had put the double standards question to US President Bill Clinton, Mubarak voiced conviction that President Clinton would rather avoid the air strikes as much as possible, adding the American President had told him over the latest telephone conversation that he wanted to solve the problem peacefully. President Mubarak, further, said he was still exerting tremendous efforts to convince Iraq of accepting the UN Security Council resolutions to stave off air blitz. Asked what he would say to President Saddam if direct talks were made available, President Mubarak said he did not wait for such direct talks as he had already sent President Saddam eight messages, the latest only yesterday. "In my seventh message on Thursday I told him (Saddam) to do his utmost for Koffi Annan's mission to succeed, because it is the last chance, or else you (Saddam) would be in serious trouble and air strikes would then be mounted," President Mubarak said. "The Iraqi President is well aware of that," President Mubarak said, adding that during his last week's meeting with the Iraqi Foreign Minister the President made it clear that unless Iraq complied with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions the country would face problems. "I told the Iraqi Minister that I offered them disinterested advice in 1991 and 1992, but they did not listen.. And this is the result now, President Mubarak said. On whether he forecast a violent chain reaction in the Arab world should Washington and London carry out an air strike against Iraq, President Mubarak said that was what he exactly feared but could not affirm, since such affirmation could be taken as an invitation to "some elements" to start "things" we do not want to see happen. Asked if the US should take into consideration that moderate Arab governments could be jeopardised by an air strike at Iraq, President Mubarak did not rule out that possibility and said that he told the US Secretary of State during her latest visit to Egypt that her country must study the question with extreme care as serious consequences could ensue after the air strikes. Responding to another question, Mubarak stressed that the air strikes would not only affect regional stability but would further have their negative impact on the entire Islamic world. President Mubarak responded to a relative question by saying that even if Israel succeeded in forcibly suppressing violence in the Palestinian territories, that would deepen the feelings of hatred towards it and would compound the situation in the Middle East. Talking of Arab response to US threats to strike Iraq, the Egyptian leader said even those Arab countries with ties to Israel would face problems and cited daily demonstrations in Jordan in support of Iraq. Asked if he feared the same could happen in Egypt, mubarak did not see it impossible as there was a free press in Egypt and no one could prevent anyone from speaking their mind. On what price the US would pay in the Islamic world should it strike Iraq, President Mubarak pointed out that American interests could be at stake. |
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