Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Shares Hopeful Vision of Future

The relationship between Egypt and the United States has led the way in building peace, promoting development, and facing down aggressions, said Hosni Mubarak, president of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Speaking to Rice students, faculty, staff, and other guests of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy in April, Mubarak added, “Today, it is now more crucial for the relationship to steer the [Middle East] region through turbulent times.”

Mubarak stressed that the United States and Egypt must assist the Palestinians and Israelis through political negotiations to implement a two-state solution to the Palestinian question, but he voiced caution as well. “It must be clear,” he said, “that touching now on any of the issues reserved for final status—territory, security, refugees, Jerusalem, and the end of conflict—would only deprive one party or the other from its full right to achieve its national objectives. It could further deprive the international community of a historic chance to achieve a solution based on justice and equality.”

Mubarak said his vision of change for the Middle East has three essential pillars. The first is leading “the Middle East away from the dead end of conflict to the broad horizons of peace and cooperation.” The Palestinians and the Israelis need to recognize each other’s pain, suffering, and legitimate interests and resume direct negotiations based on the internationally agreed upon principles for the settlement.

The second pillar is “the need to continue our efforts to modernize, develop, and reform our societies,” Mubarak said. He stressed the importance of society assuming ownership of the course and direction of change, in partnership with the government, and he reflected on the progress Egyptian society has made politically, economically, and socially since the 1980s after decades of war and “truly formidable” challenges. Education, he maintained, is “the most crucial investment” in Egypt’s future.

The third pillar is altering perceptions of the region. “The widespread view in and beyond the Middle East that the region is destined to a state of continuous conflict is, in itself, a major source of instability,” Mubarak said, resulting in “mistrust and apprehension on both sides.” He advocated mutual understanding and respect among the nations within the Middle East and in the West to allow the region to regain “its rightful place as an equal partner in humanitarian endeavor for a better future.”

Noting other sources of instability, including terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, Mubarak said, “The whole world must decisively pool its resources to fight this phenomenon without prejudice or discrimination wherever it originates or operates.” He lamented the “vicious circuit” in which innocent civilians on both sides are killed in acts of revenge. He also was critical of Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to unilaterally withdraw all Israeli soldiers and 7,500 settlers from the Gaza Strip but let some of the 230,000 Jewish settlers remain on the West Bank. He advised Sharon to sit at the negotiating table with the prime minister of the Palestinians.

“The withdrawal from Gaza needs good preparation from the Palestinian side to maintain security and stability,” Mubarak said. He favors letting the Palestinians negotiate the borders since the 1967 borders are no longer practical. Imposing anything will lead to rejection, he said, but negotiations in good faith will give both sides a hope for peace.

Addressing the “very complicated” problem of Iraq, Mubarak supported the training of police power in Iraq in preparation for a gradual withdrawal. “As long as Americans and allies are in Iraq trying to maintain stability, the people are going to stand against you,” he said. He advocated letting Iraq attempt to maintain its own security and stability.

Mubarak noted the need to understand the psychology of the people. “Each country has its own culture and comparison of population and own behavior and own ways of living,” he said. Attempts to impose initiatives on the Arab world would be rejected, he said, adding that reform cannot take place overnight.

—B. J. Almond