• For full details of graphics available/in preparation, see Menu -> Planners
 Hosni Mubarak 2002 illustration infographic
Illustration shows Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak with editorial background.
GN14449EN
EN

EGYPT

Key players in Middle East melting pot: Hosni Mubarak, Egypt

November 8, 2002 - A revised UN resolution gives Iraq until January to comply with its disarmament obligations but leaves the door open for a military strike.

Since the U.S. began its “war on terror”, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak has taken off his diplomatic gloves. In the past the Arab world’s most populous nation was classified automatically as “moderate” and “pro-western”, but current U.S. policy in the Middle East has frustrated its veteran leader, a reliable regional mediator whose proudest moments include his role in the 1993 Oslo peace accords. If it is true that Cairo is the bellweather of Arab feeling, Mubarak himself seems to reflect ambivalence towards Iraq. During the Gulf War Egypt benefitted from the cancellation of billions of dollars of debt in return for an anti-Saddam stance. This time, Mubarak has said he would support a war against Iraq under the auspices of the UN, but he has also urged Saddam to comply with weapons inspectors to deny the U.S. a pretext. He has warned that striking Iraq would unleash a “dangerous” tide of feeling in the Arab world. Yet critics say he has not shied away from using the war on terror to crack down on all opponents (not just Islamists) of his regime. In August civil rights groups expressed concern at the jailing of prominent activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim. Of course, Mubarak’s real bugbear is Israel, and U.S. backing of his country’s old foe. Many Arabs believe a war could provide a cover for Israel to step up its suppression of the Palestinian uprising. As he travels the world calling for Arab unity Mubarak has grown more critical of the focus on Iraq, and hammered home what to many Arabs seems obvious: “The only way to solve all the region’s issues is through tangible and major progress on the Palestinian cause.”

Sources
PUBLISHED: 20/06/2012; STORY: Joanna Griffin; PICTURES: Bob Hoare, Associated Press, Popperfoto
Advertisement