Background:
In this press conference, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, ʿAmrū Muḥammad Mūsā, talks about the-then upcoming MENA Conference in Cairo and the recent developments in the Middle-East peace process.
Side A:
The Foreign Minister states that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s newly communicated vision of the future of Palestine will further complicate the situation in the Middle-East. It does not solve the problem, on the contrary, it will aggregate the situation and it negates the basic principles of the peace process. However, the MENA conference will deal with regional economic problems, and it will not be centred around, or be controlled by Israel, as some argue that the region has so many potential powerful economies and diverse interests. It needs development and cooperation and Israel is just another country in the region invited at the ministerial level, but without progress in the peace process the cooperation will suffer. The Middle-East Development Bank is delayed but will still be established. There was some doubt about whether to convene the conference under the circumstances of the peace process, but the organisers realised it would be good for progress, even if they clearly oppose Israeli Foreign policy. Mūsā stresses that it is not a political conference, but an economical one.
The MENA Conference is no longer a summit, as that “was a misnomer from the beginning”, even if some argue that this happened because Netanyahu was not wanted in Cairo. Compared to the hopeful Amman Summit, there is now a lot of frustration and anger about the peace process. The economic reform in Egypt will be presented at the conference, with its national, regional and international dimensions. They also expect the new Clinton Administration to put pressure on Israel and believe in the necessity of a continued American role as an honest broker between the Arabs and Israel.
Side B:
There will be about 2000 participants at the conference, including businessmen, press and officials. The EU decided to appoint an envoy to follow the negotiations in the Middle East closely.This is supported by the whole region, as it underlines an EU political interest to play a stronger role in the peace process, although, it does not necessarily constitute a pressure on the US or on Israel. The minister is not impressed by the “exaggerated reactions of Israel” regarding the troop movements in Syria and Lebanon, and Egypt wants negotiations to continue according to the Madrid and Oslo agreements. Japan can add to the peace process and is welcome to, especially because of their balanced position. All the Arab countries are committed to the final communqué of the conference which says that“we are ready to extend our hands in the same way the other side is ready to extend his hand”, working towards peace. He underlines that Inter-Arab cooperation and regional cooperation are not mutually exclusive. Mr. ʿAmrū does not think the Israelis are paranoid about anti-Semitism, but rather that they exaggerate. This leads to them linking security with everything and forgetting about security on the other side.
Future Egyptian Policy towards Israel will focus on saving the peace process and protecting its principles. They will not accept a negative response from the Israeli government and Israel will have to conform to the international community’s insisting. Treating Israel as just another country in the peace process shows that Egypt still sees that there is a chance for the international community to save the peace process. They are still hopeful, but if the new Israeli policy is not respecting peace, everyone has to act.