Egyptian president breaks silence and calls for calm

Few weeks after the vicious attacks launched by the Egyptian private and national satellite TV channels against Algeria in the wake of the defeat of their national squad, the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarek has the day before yesterday denied the existence of any kind of conflict with Algeria that he branded as a “brother state”, indicating that “the relationship between the two countries were too deep to be shaken by superficial events”.

• Talking on the sidelines of an inspection visit to “Al Menia”, the president said” I set my mind at rest concerning my Egyptian sons in Algeria and Sudan after the play- off match that took place in Sudan on November 18…”
• Hosni Mubarek went on saying” Despite my anger and the Egyptian people’s in the wake of the events, he called for easing tension in order to spare the historical bonds of the two countries”, adding that he called on the media to stop their campaign and put the events their context .
• The president’s declarations confirm the fact that the Egyptian authorities have also believed the allegations concerning the imaginary attacks perpetrated by Algerian fans in Khartoum against Egyptians, despite the all out denial of the Sudanese authorities.
• Does the call of the Egyptian president for not embittering the situation mean allowing his sons to insult the Algerian people through TV channels and brand the Algerians “terrorists” and does this move to appease spirits include the president’s sons declarations “ Even if the president Bouteflika apologizes, we will not accept”?
• This masquerade was fabricated by the Egyptian satellite channels in a move to overshadow the cowardly attack on the Algerian team and their fans in Cairo on November 14 , the events were censored by the satellite channels and disregarded by the president Mubarek, and put the focus on the virtual attacks in Khartoum after the fall of the “Pharaohs” at Al Merikh stadium.
• Does the protection of the historical bonds, for Mubarek, give the right to the Egyptian channels to insult the Algerian martyrs and reduce the number of a million and half freedom fighters, died for the independence of their country, to a wistful of martyrs?
• The question is: Can the president’s declaration make the Algerians forget the Egyptian insults? Can diplomatic words replay history and prevent Egyptian mobs from storming the Algerian ambassadors’ residence in Cairo in a move to mug him or prevent the Egyptian lawyers from burning the Algerian flag, at a time where the Jewish president was welcomed with flowers.