Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has said that the Arabs and Muslims can no longer stand US double standards in its Middle East policy.
He said that the US vetoes of anti-Israeli UN Security Council resolutions and its continuous attacks on Iraq “have made people furious.”
In an interview with the French Le Figaro on Friday, the president cast doubt on US accusations of Arabs as the main and only suspects in the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
He said that Europeans and even American terrorists might have been among the perpetrators.
The president made distinctions between the attacks on the US landmarks, and Palestinian suicide bombings targeting Israelis, saying that the Palestinian attacks were the outcome of despair and frustration.
Mubarak rejected remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon likening Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect behind the US attack.
He described it as “a stupid analogy - because Yasser Arafat has a goal; namely, the liberation of his homeland from a foreign occupation. Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden is only looking for revenge.”
Speaking of Sharon, President Mubarak said the man was no more than “a general who thinks the only solution is war and killing. He never listens to anyone. He has given me his word – three times- that he would change his approach but he never has.”
As to Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, however, Mubarak said he appreciated the diplomat's desire for peace.
Regarding whether Egypt would join the US-led coalition in its war against terrorism, the president said that his country took part in the international coalition that forced Iraq out of Kuwait in the Gulf War, but added that this time, things were different.
He said that there are questions awaiting answers, and that the whole situation had to be thoroughly examined before taking a decision on a course of action – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
