Egypt opposes Arab oil embargo on West to pressure Israel

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Egypt opposes Arab oil embargo on West to pressure Israel Reuters

KUWAIT - Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak was quoted on Saturday as saying he was opposed to a new Arab oil embargo against the West to put pressure on Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians. He also rejected calls for Egypt to launch a new war against Israel.

"What will the benefit be from stopping selling oil? Can we really accept the consequences of that?" Mubarak said in an interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper.

However Mubarak, a key U.S. ally in the region, did say that Washington's policy in the Middle East conflict "is strongly influenced by the Israeli lobby, which works inside the American administration as well as American society".

When asked about calls for war against Israel, Mubarak said: "Today is different from yesterday...the war that should really be declared is the war of development."

"We do not listen to those who call for fighting 'until the death of the last Egyptian soldier'," he said in reference to calls for Jihad (holy war) against Israel by Arab countries which do not border the Jewish state.

Mubarak, in power since 1981, justified his recent decision to recall the Egyptian ambassador from Israel. "We had to resort to this decision only when the situation became unbearable - it was a clear message to Israel, that continuing its suppression of the Palestinian people and the use of force against them will have dangerous effects," he added.

Mubarak said that Cairo had repeatedly warned Israel against the "excessive use of force" which could weaken the position of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and boost the role of extremists. "Arafat's absence from the leadership would be catastrophic because it would mean the loss of Palestinian moderation and the way of hope."

http://www2.haaretz.co.il/breaking-news/peace_process/338403.stm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), November 25, 2000


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