CAIRO: Mohammed Bassiouni, Egypt's former ambassador to Israel who served for 20 consecutive years, defended the policy of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak towards Israel in the face of criticism that he had been too soft with Tel Aviv. Bassiouni defended Mubarak against accusations that the ousted former president adopted policies that served Israel's interests during his lengthy tenure and said that Mubarak did not make any concessions, and the reason for everything he was doing is “to keep the peace,” according to al-Sharouk newspaper. Bassiouni explained in an interview with the newspaper “Middle East” of London, published Thursday, that the cause of Tel Aviv diplomacy looked for Mubarak is “because he was committed to the peace agreement. For the record, I did not see any concessions from Mubarak to Israel.” “I am not being a hypocrite; there is no room for hypocrisy now,” he added. Bassiouni said that Mubarak's meetings with Israeli leaders in the were to keep the peace process going. According to Bassiouni, the bilateral relations between Egypt and Israel are different from any other bilateral relations because it has two dimensions. “First the peace process and we must maintain good relations with Tel Aviv and strong communication to serve the Arabs first, especially in the presence of Arab lands still under occupation and many other difficult issues,” he said. “The second point are the relationships with the United States of America, a relationship that must pass through Israel, and the cutting edge in our relationship with Israel is where the national interest and Egyptian national security stands.” Egypt's bilateral relations with Israel have been up the air since the overthrow of Mubarak, who was backed by the Israeli government during the January 25 Revolution. A recent poll conducted by Pew Research Center showed that 54 percent of the Egyptian population want to see the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel terminated. This led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express his worries from the voices that grow louder in Egypt calling for the cancellation of the treaty. Some presidential candidates criticized the Camp David Accords to win public support, Bassiouni believes. “Egyptian public opinion feels satisfied whenever the Israel issue is brought into discussion. Therefore, candidates are playing that card, but the situation must be addressed more seriously,” al-Ahram online reported him as saying. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, who is running in the upcoming presidential elections, is one of those who has disparaged the peace treaty. “It must be addressed in a more serious manner,” he said. “I think that the treaty has made us important gains. First of all is the liberation of the Egyptian land. Second is the evacuation of all settlements in Sinai which is a principle in all other fronts. Third is the recovery of oil fields. Fourth is the regularity of navigation in the Suez Canal. Fifth it helped us reduce the budget of War. Sixth, it increased foreign investment in Egypt,” he said. Bassiouni sees that both countries gain from the treaty. “Politics is a smart game, it must be profitable to all parties, so I am completely against the abolition of the treaty, [those] who oppose the peace treaty did not read it, I advise them to read it first,” he continued. As for the amendments that can be added, they are the “security arrangements” stressing that “the development of Sinai defense status is now better than before June 1967, and in the case of war we can move the largest number of troops from the West Bank.” Commenting on the agreement to export gas and the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) with Israel, the former ambassador said, “No agreement is being signed unless it is discussed from the perspective of the Egyptian national security and the scientific terms and as long as the two conventions are in favor of national interest, I support them,” al-Sharouk quoted Bassiouni. BM
