I am so not surprised.
French President Jacques Chirac on Friday backed Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak in his opposition to a US initiative for political and economic reform in the Middle East, saying the plan amounted to âinterferenceâ.
| "Non, non! Let them continue to suppurate!" |
The two held talks after Mubarak arrived in Paris earlier Friday as part of a three-nation tour designed to warn key European partners of the dangers of the âGreater Middle Eastâ initiative. The US plan aims to encourage democratic and economic reform in the Arab world and other Muslim countries in a bid to deprive international extremists of the reservoir of frustration and poverty they thrive on for support. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have criticized the initiative, fearing Washington wants to impose its own cultural models on the region. âWe support modernization which comes as a result of consultations, cooperation between states,â Chirac told a news conference. âOn the other hand, we think that nothing can be imposed. In other words, modernization yes, interference no.â
| "They have their own ways of doing things, involving the ax, the whip, occasional mass graves, the pursuit of weaponry of all types, and hereditary regimes. Who are we to interfere with that?" |
Mubarak arrived from Italy, where Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi also agreed that no solution could be imposed on the region from outside. âThe countries concerned must be directly involved in the evolution of any initiative,â concerning the âGreater Middle Eastâ,â Berlusconi said after meeting Mubarak late Thursday. Berlusconiâs statement marks a change in the Italian position compared to its earlier pronouncements. The Egyptian leader is due to continue his campaign against the US plan by visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London on Monday.
Chirac and Mubarak agreed that any plan to âmodernizeâ the Middle East should follow a relaunching of the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians and stability in Iraq. âWe think - and it is also the feeling of President Mubarak, that we are on the same track, that all development, all modernization in this region depends on a resolution of the problem of finding peace between the Palestinian and Israeli people,â said Chirac. âAll the same we think it is urgent to find a solution to the problem of Iraq that allows the re-establishment of peace and stability in maintaining unity in Iraq,â he said, adding that âthese are the âprerequisites.â |