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Sunday, February 03, 2002
On Egypt’s pivotal role in the region and the Arab and Muslim world, the peace process, meeting with Arafat several times in the past 10 years and Egypt’s view to reach a solution for the peace process, Mubarak said that he does not believe a solution is looming in the horizon in this period, particularly with the current (Israeli) government. President Hosni Mubarak said the situation with the current Israeli government has become more complicated as one side practices violence while the other has the right to retaliate, adding ``this is a never-ending cycle``. In an interview with the Chinese TV, broadcast by the Egyptian TV Sunday morning, Mubarak said the current Israeli government still insists that violence must be totally stopped prior to a resumption of the negotiations and hence it will not put the Mitchell report or the tenet understandings into effect. The conditions laid by Israel to continue the negotiating process and sit at the negotiating table are viewed by some people as a glimpse of hope to end this violence, said Mubarak. Although the situation some three weeks ago cooled off to some extent and violence came to a halt, Israel does not go ahead towards peace and hence the situation is getting worse, he said. "It is impossible to stop violence completely ," said Mubarak, adding that there is another Israeli difficult condition calling on the Palestinians to first arrest the persons who are accused assassinating former Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze`evi and those involved in the so-called arms ship case. Mubarak expressed his belief that Israel completely controls the West Bank and Gaza and can arrest anyone but it insists that the Palestinian authority must arrest them. With the previous government, we managed to hold meetings and dialogues and made them talk with Arafat to discuss the bones of contention but with this current government, we can never reach a solution, said Mubarak. He wondered "how can we reach a solution while Arafat is under confinement to his Ramallah headquarters?" "Arafat’s plane, the airport and houses were destroyed and the people are suffering in the cold weather and I believe there is not going to be any solution, stability or peace in the region as long as this Israeli government exists. May be we have to wait for a while," said Mubarak. Asked on a solution from his own view, President Mubarak replied that the solution lies in Israel’s compliance with the demands of the international community and commitment to the signed agreements. President Mubarak pointed out that sitting at the negotiating table gives a glimpse of hope but before that the blockade imposed on the Palestinian towns and villages must be lifted because the people can not go to their work, earn their living or feed their Children. The people cannot send their children to school in nearby villages. They reached a state of despondency that renders them desperate and consequently would be expected to commit a suicide or kill the others: this is the actual current state of affairs and this is what is going on, said Mubarak. On whether he is pessimistic over the deteriorating situation on the Palestinian arena, president Mubarak expressed belief that the international community has an important role to undertake. The violence will stop if the Americans, Europeans and Russians compel both parties to sit at the negotiating table and the siege on the Palestinians be raised. "It would be impossible to completely stem the violence and this cannot take place in any country in the whole world," said Mubarak. Mubarak added that the incidents in the Palestinian territories are deplorable, referring to the killing, destruction and sabotage that would not lead under any circumstances to a solution. "The position of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat currently under siege is a humiliating one and if the Israelis think the Palestinian issue can be solved without Arafat, I would say this is not going to take place," said the president. "Deposing or eliminating Arafat would lead to grave consequences which some parties might not be aware of," he said, elaborating that "you can not pick a leader to negotiate with and then ask the people to support him. The people support the leader whom they have chosen ." |
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