Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak celebrates 20 years as head of state this month, with a track record of improved relations with other Arab states, economic reforms, and success in fending off a long-running Islamist rebellion.
According to an article by AFP on the occasion, Mubarak’s reign has been under the specter of Islamic militant violence that now haunts not only Egypt but the rest of the world.
In fact, the president came to power after Egypt's Islamic Jihad assassinated president Anwar Sadat on October 6, 1981 as he reviewed a military parade in Cairo. The group's militants fired into the reviewing stand from the parade line itself.
Mubarak, the vice president at the time, was himself wounded, and he has since survived at least 10 plots to kill him, most of them by Islamic militants.
The agency said that Mubarak had been successful at curbing violence in his country after thousands of lives were lost in the civil unrest, but added that he now faced another challenge.
“Now, the 73-year-old leader, who has kept a lid on Islamist violence in Egypt in the past four years, faces US pressure to join its global war on terror after the September 11 airborne suicide attacks in the United States.
But he has to perform a balancing act between helping his US ally and satisfying a public angry at US policy perceived as pro-Israeli and anti-Arab,” according to AFP.
The Jihad has become a close ally of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden, the chief US suspect in the September 11 attacks.
Bin Laden's lieutenants are Ayman Zawahri and Sobhi Abu Setta, both members of the Egyptian Jihad, who are believed to live in Afghanistan, far from Egypt.
Other activists live in Europe - in England, in particular - and the president has warned the West against hosting them. Indications are that after years of indifference, they have finally begun to listen.
TIES TO WORLD LEADERS
He reportedly discussed the issue during a visit by UK Foreign Minister Jack Straw to Cairo last week.
Mubarak wants proof from the United States that bin Laden masterminded the attacks, but there is no doubt he views Islamic militants - including bin Laden and the Jihad - as a major threat, said the agency.
Mubarak also pinpointed the fact that the Middle East conflict was the major root cause of violence. This is consistent with his earlier stands, for he has repeatedly called for a more active US role on the issue.
Two days ago, US President George W. Bush said that the US had plans to solve the problem, adding Washington had no problem with an independent Palestinian state within a peaceful solution that guaranteed Israel's survival. Cairo welcomed the remarks.
In the months before the attacks on New York and Washington, Mubarak warned the United States of "horrible terrorism" if the worsening Arab-Israeli conflict was not resolved.
And in January, he told the Egyptian government newspaper Al Ahram that the domestic threat from Islamic militants was not over, even though security forces had established "control of the situation" in Egypt.
However, human rights groups have blasted a two-decade-old state of emergency under which suspects can be detained indefinitely without charge, and accused the authorities of torturing inmates.
But the criticism was seen coming at a bad time: as Egypt stood fiercely in the face of Israeli suppression of the latest Palestinian uprising against 34 years of occupation, refusing to send its envoy back to Tel Aviv.
Critics at home and abroad also denounce an election system weighted in favor of the ruling National Democratic Party.
BLAZING TRAIL FOR ECONOMIC REFORM
In a quest for stability for Egypt and the region, Mubarak has sought to strengthen the economy and push for a comprehensive Middle East peace, both of which have hit major setbacks, said AFP.
In 1991, Mubarak launched economic reforms at the behest of the International Monetary Fund, which succeeded in containing both inflation and the budget deficit.
The economy grew suddenly as Mubarak presided over a sell-off of inefficient state-run businesses and the revival of a stock market that had been virtually dormant for three decades.
But growth has fallen short of expectation in the past few years.
Never turning back on Sadat's treaty, which set a precedent for later Israeli peace deals with Jordan and an eventual one with the Palestinians, Mubarak spent his first decade achieving an end to Egypt's isolation from fellow Arabs.
Observers say that, due to his efforts, Egypt has again assumed its role as the de facto leader of the Arab World.
He spent the next decade laying the groundwork for talks on a comprehensive peace, which looked promising as he began his fourth six-year term in office in October 1999.
But that dream was struck a harsh blow a year later, when the Palestinian uprising erupted, derailing the peace process.
Following is a brief biography of President Mubarak:
Hosni Mubarak
Title: President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Took Office: October 14, 1981. Re-elected in 1987, 1993, and 1999.
Succeeded: Anwar Sadat
Previous Positions: Commander, Cairo West Air Base; Director, Air Force Academy; Air Force Chief of Staff; Commander, Air Force; Deputy Minister of War; Vice-President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Date of Birth: May 4, 1928
Place of Birth: Menoufeya Governorate
Education: Egyptian Military Academy, 1947
Military: Air Force
Family Status: Married to Suzanne Thabet. They have two sons – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
