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Tuesday, March 05, 2002
One of the key players in the Middle East is the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. He meets Tuesday with President Bush at the White House. Earlier today, I -Wolf Blitzer, CNN correspondent - sat down with President Mubarak at Blair House, the official U.S. residence for foreign guests, right across the street from the White House. I began by asking him. Excerpts from the interview : BLITZER: You are in a unique position. Egypt is the largest of all of the Arab countries, and you have a peace treaty with Israel. And you have good relations with the Palestinians. Why not try MUBARAK: And we have very good relations with the Saudis, also, at the same time, and good relations with the United States. Any proposal which is on the table is of great benefit. But the point is we have so many proposals, and the plan is well known. The withdrawal of forces, establishing a Palestinian state, normalization of relations with all countries. This is what Crown Prince Abdullah said, confirming what has been mentioned before. It's not a matter of new initiative or third initiative, fourth initiative. We have so many initiatives. We have to do whatever possible to bring the parts on the table. Delivering initiative is something practical for these two parties to sit down with each other is of no way. BLITZER: You don't think if you invited the prime minister of Israel and the president of the Palestinian Authority to sit down with you, and to try to get the end of violence, that would have an impact? MUBARAK: Look, I made this initiative, and I asked the prime minister of Israel to come to Sharm el-Sheikh at that time, in our country. On condition that I could invite Arafat, not to solve the problem but to give impression to both parties, to the people on both sides, to the people in the Arab world that there is a window of hope, we have to work on it. We will discuss some points so as to make that atmosphere that much far better. Then after that, they can continue discussions on the level of ministers or lower than ministers, but it's a matter of good impression or hope to the public opinion in Israeli and in the Palestinian. BLITZER: But do you have confidence in both Prime Minister Sharon and Palestinian President Arafat, that they can make the tough decisions that will get the peace process going again? MUBARAK: It is difficult to say that. From the side of Arafat, we can push him, but I don't know Mr. Sharon's going to respond to that or not. BLITZER: Do you ever talk to him? MUBARAK: I had two times telephone calls, once after has been elected, he phoned me, just maybe one minute. The last contact was after the crown prince initiative. He had the long talk with me on the telephone, and I told him, after I sent him a message to come to Sharm el-Sheikh. He told me I would like to sit with you bilaterally. I told him I have no problem with you, there's no problem between Egypt and Israel. The main problem is the Palestinian problem and the violence which is going on. Your people are affected, all the Palestinians are affected, let us give the people some hope that peace could prevail. That's my intention, and that I'm -- to ask Arafat and Sharon to come and sit. We're not going to solve all the problems in one meeting, just as a change, to change the atmosphere. To see the people, that both are sitting with each other. They have never met with each other. Then after that, with the help of the United States, I think it could move forward. He apologized, but he asked me to arrange a second meeting with Crown Prince Abdullah to understand from him the initiative. I know it is a very difficult question. So I told him all right, I'm going to just pass by this message. BLITZER: Did you send that message to Crown Prince Abdullah? MUBARAK: Yes, I sent the message. BLITZER: What did he say? MUBARAK: I sent the message to Crown Prince Abdullah. BLITZER: What was his response? MUBARAK: I just said that Sharon said so and so. But I don't think that Crown Prince Abdullah, the country with the holy places will be able to meet with Sharon unless there is peace. BLITZER: As you know, the secretary of state of the United States, Colin Powell, and the president of the United States, George W. Bush, say the primary responsibility right now is on Yasser Arafat to stop the terrorism against Israeli civilians, and then they will get more actively involved, but they say Arafat must take the first step. MUBARAK: Look, with all of my respect to President George Bush, he's a friend; Colin Powell; who I know him before, since the Gulf War; I could tell you Arafat can control some of his people, but he's unable to control those who are making the suicide bombs. These suicide bombers are from people who are desperate in their life. BLITZER: So there's nothing Arafat can do? MUBARAK: No, he can do -- he can control some of his people, but he can not control others. I would imagine I'm sitting surrounded by tanks in my village, I can not send my children to school, I can not do that, I can not move. What do you expect me to do? I'm not earning money. BLITZER: But you can't blame the Israelis for responding in the face of these suicide attacks. MUBARAK: Who am I going to blame? BLITZER: Well, I'm asking you. MUBARAK: No, you told me that you can not blame the Israelis. BLITZER: No. You would do... MUBARAK: Who can I blame? BLITZER: ... the same -- you would do the same thing if this were happening in Egypt. Wouldn't you? To fight terrorism? MUBARAK: I think both parts should sit. That's what they can do -- Not to blame this and to blame that. Come and sit. BLITZER: Would it be a useful idea, for you, to visit Israel? MUBARAK: If my visit to Israel could solve this problem, I would have done it before. BLITZER: Why haven't you... MUBARAK: ... Of Visiting Israel, for the sake of doing a favor to Sharon, I'm not ready to make favors, unless i find something to help the people on both sides. The civilians are being killed without any reason. BLITZER: What will you tell President Bush when you meet with him tomorrow? About the peace process, what the United States -- MUBARAK: We have to do something. We have to bring -- this is certain -- violence, retaliation, killing, retaliation, it will continue. Everybody is losing, the two parties are losing. The whole area is losing. The United States is losing. So we have to do something, whether we like it or not, we have to bring the two parties on the table. At least force them to come to the table. Let them discuss and we have to help. BLITZER: As you know, the president of the United States refuses to meet with Arafat. MUBARAK: That is not the point to meet Arafat or not to meet Arafat, I want to calm the situation in the area first. Then after that I think it would be -- the ground would be laid for a meeting with Arafat. BLITZER: The Bush administration openly supports what they call regime change in Baghdad, to get rid of Saddam Hussein. MUBARAK: All right, regime change should be done by the people themselves. I think George Bush, the father, during the war, the Gulf War -- there was a plan, Saddam Hussein. I told him George, take care -- it would be a black spot if you went to Baghdad and killed Saddam Hussein on the hands of American forces there. BLITZER: How much of a terrorism problem from Islamic fundamentalists, al Qaeda networks, supporters, exist in Egypt right now? Because, as you know, several of the high ranking al Qaeda officials are Egyptians. Mohammed Al Zawarhi. MUBARAK: You find only Mohammed Al Zawarhi? BLITZER: Well, Mohammed Atef. MUBARAK: Tell me about the name of any country in the world who have no fanatics, any country and any religion. It's not only Muslim -- BLITZER: They represent a threat to your government, just as much as they represent a threat to the United States. MUBARAK: We have dealt with these kinds of people in our country, and now they're on the fringe of the country now. We are doing much more in the past 20 years just reforming economy, giving chance for young people to work to avoid all this extremists. But these fundamentalists are in so many countries. Those who commit a crime in our country, they fled away and they want -- given asylum to European countries and in the United States. BLITZER: Mr. President, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it very much. |
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