Egypt�s Moussa says running for president; adopts harsher tone on Israel

YNet News (Link) - Roee Nahmias (March 1, 2011)

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa announced on Tuesday that he was running for president of Egypt in elections scheduled for this year.

In an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm daily, the former Egyptian foreign minister recalled his disagreements with ousted President Hosni Mubarak regarding Israel. �The foreign ministry during my term suffered from a negative policy on Israel�s part with regards to the peace (treaty). I thought we should be honest with the Israelis and take firm measures against them in the framework of the foreign ministry�s activities. Maybe this created some discord regarding (Egypt�s) relations with Israel.�

Moussa, who served as Egyptian foreign minister from 1991 until 2001, also addressed Israel�s nuclear program. �The issue was under the full responsibility of the Foreign Ministry. The idea was to establish a nuclear-free zone and simultaneously �besiege� Israel�s nuclear program,� he said. Moussa was referring to diplomatic measures he thought should have been taken as a means of curtailing Israel�s nuclear program.

�There were disagreements because officials in the president�s office feared this (tactic),� Moussa told the Egyptian newspaper.

He continued to say that the �West and Israel are very familiar with my policy. They know I believe the interest is always peace and not war. I�ve read that Israel is currently trying to maneuver between the political forces (in Egypt) in a bid to thwart my candidacy. I am not ruling this out, but I don�t think the national political forces will cooperate with Israel to block the candidacy of an Egyptian citizen.� �