Egyptian public opinion is being misguided about what is taking place in Syria. They view it as a repetition for the Egyptian experience.
Israa Al-Fass
Al-Manar Website posts part two of the interview with Dr. Abdullah Al-Ashaal on the margin of the “Islamists: The System of Ruling, Palestine after the Revolutions” Conference, held in Beirut on 12 and 13 September, 2012.
The interview that was recognized by the conference organizers and some fellow journalists discussed a bunch of files some of which Al-Ashaal directly dealt with, while he was somehow diplomatic in dealing with others.
Syrian Crisis Viewed Mursi a Brotherhoodish Leader
Concerning the Syrian crisis, Al-Ashaal announces that he has his special approach that is a way different from what the Egyptian Presidency shows to public.
In his exclusive talk to Al-Manar Website, the former Egyptian diplomat explains that the Egyptian public opinion is being misguided about what is taking place in Syria. They view it as a repetition for the Egyptian experience, and they compare the Syrian President Bashar Assad with the toppled Egyptian President Husni Mubarak. They also don’t pay attention to the partition in Syria between the pro-regime and anti-regime groups, in contrary to Egypt whose people united in order to topple the regime. For this reason, the Egyptians find no problem in what their President had announced against the Syrian regime.
In a political evaluation to Mursi’s stances in the Non Aligned Movement summit held in Tehran, Al-Ashaal considers Mursi’s attitudes toward the Syrian regime unsound, and they showed him as a Brotherhoodish leader more than being a president of a major country as Egypt. He viewed Mursi’s announced stances as impeding any chance for Egypt to contribute to a serious initiative to solve the Syrian crisis.
In Mursi’s stances, Al-Ashaal read the former’s attempt to balance with his visit to the Islamic Republic, in which he was exposed to tough pressures and criticisms.
Egypt-Iran Relations and the American Concern
“Most of which the United States fears of in the region is Iran. Not for developing its nuclear program, but for being independent, and courageous for saying “No” to America,” says the Professor of International Law in the University of Cairo.
Furthermore, he added that the Iranians do not follow any international side; they have their own independent outstand and interests that would intersect with some sides. Despite all the imposed sanctions on Iran, the Iranians saved this independence so that their country became an important player that cannot be outreached in the region.
Al-Ashaal sees that Egypt will restore its trust on the strategic level by joining the regional pivot in which Iran is a main pillar. He explains that this pivot will not quell Egypt, but will deal with it fluently. Iran is keen on showing its goodwill in openness to Egypt while the US is using all the pressure cards to prevent this openness and strengthening relationships.
He confesses that the Egyptian-Iranian relationships exist and are good, but they need a chance or an international event to be stronger. Al-Ashaal didn’t exclude the Egyptian initiative to solve the Syrian crisis from forming this event.
The Bahraini Crisis and the Regional Unrest
His diplomacy is clearly witnessed in his approach to the Bahraini issue. Dr. Al-Ashaal says that he had previously visited Bahrain and met official and opposing officers. He describes Bahraini people as peaceful. And about the turmoil between the two sides in Bahrain, he says that it is simple and is originally related to the tense regional atmosphere.
When asked whether discussing the Bahraini issue embarrasses regimes and personas who are keen on their relations when the Gulf States, Al-Ashaal smiles to repeat what he had previously mentioned.
He thinks that Mursi’s total ignorance to the political crisis in Bahrain doesn’t incite the Egyptian people that aren’t aware of the events and their backgrounds, and are influenced by what was marketed on the satellite channels that were trying to view the movement on the island as a sectarian movement.
The American Movie and September 11 Myth
Al-Ashaal considers breaking in the American Embassy in Cairo and raising the Al-Qaeda flags to condemn the offensive movie to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is a film made in the USA, noting that the protestors’ entry to the embassy was facilitated, and the security guards in charge of protecting the embassy didn’t resist them.
He explains that the American goal from this is to deceit the American public opinion with the idea that they are targeted by the “Global Terrorism” represented by the Al-Qaeda, consequently pushing the American people to support Obama and reelect him for being more capable of confronting this challenge, especially that Osama bin Laden, the movement’s former leader, was killed during Obama’s reign in a security operation directly supervised by him.
“Pushing the United States to offer more assurances to the American people” is considered among the goals which America is looking forward to achieve. According to his analysis, showing that the American interests in Egypt are targeted means that the Egyptian security forces are not able to protect those interests, which means that the Americans can demand bringing in American forces to fulfill the Egyptian deficiency, and push the Brotherhood for more concessions.
In this context, he remembers what he describes as the “September 11 Myth”, noting that he is convinced that the events were American-Israeli cofounded, and showing what the foreign and Arab newspapers had published about the Israeli Prime Minister at the time Ariel Sharon’s condemning the two planes attack half an hour before the second plane attacked the commercial tower, according to Al-Ashaal.
The former Foreign Minister Assistant explains that nothing is innocence in politics; September 11 events have had backgrounds and dimensions. This is also applied on the latest events that took place in Egypt as Abdullah Al-Ashaal emphasized.
Report translated by: Zeinab Abdallah
To read Part I of this interview click here
