Egypt worried about Iran, but also about Israel
Published by Avi Green on Thursday, May 07, 2009 at 9:55 AM.
Surprising news: even Egypt is worried about Iran's nukes. However, they still have negative views on Israel:
The new US administration's engagement with Iran could be a positive move as long as there are clear parameters and a timetable for negotiations, and as long as the concerns of Arab states like Egypt are kept in mind, an Egyptian Foreign Ministry representative said Wednesday.No kidding. Then even if they consider Iran a greater threat, their stand on Israel is still disgusting.
"We told them that this is a good step," spokesman Hossam Zaki told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday about US President Obama's decision to conduct talks with Iran. "Confrontation so far has had negative effects... but you have to know on what terms you are engaging and until when you are engaging. If you decide on these issues, then it is possibly a good move."
While Iran is a regional power that shares a common Islamic heritage with the Arab world, their behavior "is subversive in many ways and we have to keep them in check," he said.
On Wednesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Egypt's view on the danger of nuclear weapons did not distinguish between Israeli capabilities and the dangers that the Iranian case could pose, especially if its program became one with military capability that threatened regional security.
"Possession of any nuclear weapons in the Middle East is unacceptable by Egypt... particularly as the current confrontation between Iran and the West and Israel has consequences for the stability and peace in the region," he said, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
Zaki was quoted by the Middle East News Agency this week as saying that Israel's nuclear abilities posed the first and greatest threat to the region.
Labels: anti-semitism, Egypt, iran, Israel, political corruption, terrorism
