Hosni Mubarak - 'cheap rhetoric' - 'pivotal role'

AP

Mubarak: US Shouldn't Take Military Action Against Iran

Egypt's president said Saturday that the U.S. should refrain from taking military action against Iran because doing so would create instability not just in the Middle East but around the world, according to a published report.
"The conflict between the United States and Iran should be solved through diplomacy and direct dialogue because striking Iran means the end of stability in the region and the world," President Hosni Mubarak told the semiofficial weekly Akhbar el-Yom newspaper.
Iran is facing heightened pressure over its disputed nuclear program and has rejected a a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on Tehran to halt uranium enrichment by Aug. 31.
Washington has said it intends next month to have the U.N. impose penalties on Iran for refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment, an important step in making nuclear weapons. U.S. officials have not specified the proposed punishment.
In the published interview, Mubarak also appeared to soften his stance on Hezbollah, calling the guerrilla group "part of the Lebanese national fabric."
"Resisting the occupier is a legitimate right under the condition that it springs from free will and in accordance to the supreme national interest," Mubarak said.
Mubarak was among some Arab leaders who initially blamed Hezbollah for carrying out an "uncalculated adventures" when the group kidnapped two Israeli soldiers on July 12, sparking the deadly conflict that lasted 34 days before a cease-fire went into effect Monday.
Mubarak came under sharp criticism by other leaders including Syrian President Bashar Assad, who said Tuesday that "we do not ask anyone to fight with us or for us ... But he should at least not adopt the enemy's views."
In an apparent response, Mubarak said in the interview that the region shouldn't tolerate "cheap rhetoric." Link

During a congressional hearing on 17 May administration officials stressed that Egypt's current regime had backed US interventions in the region, and had generally supported Washington's pro-Israeli foreign policy and US economic ambitions in the Middle East.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Michael Coulter stressed the pivotal role of the Egyptian government in US military plans in the region. He described US military aid to Egypt -- a hefty $1.3 billion in foreign military financing (FMF) and $1.2 billion in international military education and training (IMET) -- as an instrument intended to "create a defence force capable of supporting US security".

"Military assistance is critical to the development of a strategic partnership with Egypt, and has contributed to a broad range of US objectives in the region," Coulter said. "Cooperation is increasing each year, and is often difficult to quantify in one single observation." Link