An Interview with Mubarak

The Arabs must move faster. To be slow now is dangerous.

Since he became President of Egypt 15 months ago, following the assassination of Anwar Sadat by Muslim extremists, Hosni Mubarak, 54, has tried to re-establish his country’s position of leadership in the Arab world. Though he has had his differences with Israel, particularly since the Israeli invasion of Lebanon last summer, he remains committed to the Camp David peace treaty with Israel and the U.S. Before leaving for the U.S. for discussions with President Reagan this week, a clearly worried Mubarak talked for 80 minutes with TIME Cairo Bureau Chief Robert C. Wurmstedt about the problems of Egypt and the Middle East. Mubarak expressed confidence that life would gradually improve for his country’s 45 million people, but, he added with a sigh, “my job is hard.” Excerpts from the interview:

Q. What will you tell President Reagan about the prospects for a peace settlement in the Middle East?

A. We support the Reagan initiative. It is the only thing we can use to push the peace process forward, because nearly all the strings are in the hands of the U.S. Only the U.S. has the power, the influence, the authority to put a peace initiative into action, especially with its close relationship with Israel. The U.S. must help stop these new Israeli settlements in the West Bank. If these settlements continue, what will be left to negotiate in a year’s time? How then will we solve the Palestinian problem?

Q. What advice have you given to King Hussein of Jordan and Palestine Liberation Organization Leader Yasser Arafat?

A. King Hussein should sit down with the Arab leaders and find a way to allow the Palestinians to join the negotiations. He should get the approval of the Arabs and go ahead. I advised Arafat to recognize Israel unilaterally. The Arabs must move faster so that we can benefit from the Reagan initiative. To be slow now is dangerous. The Israelis will not stop building these settlements in the West Bank. Also, the U.S. presidential elections are coming, and then all decisions in the U.S. will be paralyzed. If we wait until the elections are over, I’m afraid everything will be liquidated.

Q. What role do you see for President Hafez Assad of Syria?

A. The Syrians don’t want to reach any conclusions. They don’t want the Reagan initiative implemented. They don’t want any solution to the Palestinian problem because they are benefiting in many ways from the state of no war and no peace.

Q. What, in your view, is Israel’s strategy in Lebanon?

A. Israel’s strategy may be to delay implementation of the Reagan initiative until a year passes, and then it would be very difficult to implement it. But I have heard from the Israelis several times that they are going to withdraw from Lebanon and that they have no interest in staying there.

Q. What is the current state of relations between Egypt and Israel?

A. Recalling our ambassador in Israel after the Beirut massacre was the least we could do in such a situation. We will deal with Israel as with any other country.

Q. What is the chance of good relations between Israel and the Arab states?

A. If the Israelis think deeply and wisely, they could live in peace with other Arab countries. If they are practical, they will find a way to solve the Palestinian problem. If the Palestinians are given their rights and Israel stops being obstinate, the Israeli people will have much to gain.

Q. President Sadat expelled the Soviet ambassador in 1981. What is the future of Egyptian relations with the Soviet Union?

A. We have no interest in neglecting the Soviet Union. The time will come, maybe in a year or less, when we will exchange ambassadors. But this will not affect our special relations with the U.S. Take India, for example. India has special relations with the Soviets, yet it also has normal relations with the U.S.

Q. What kind of additional aid do you want from the U.S.?

A. The U.S. is doing the maximum in the area of military aid now. But we must strengthen our armed forces, especially our air defenses, with missile systems and fighter planes. We don’t know what is going to happen on our western border [with Libya], and the Iran-Iraq war is a problem for the whole area. On economic aid, we would like as much flexibility [as the Israelis have with U.S. aid] in how we use it.

Q. How do you account for the growth of Muslim fundamentalism in Egypt?

A. Economic problems may be part of the reason for it here, but it is a trend all over the Muslim world. In Egypt we know exactly how to tackle this problem. We are explaining to all the people what Islam is and the difference between the extremists’ view and the real Islam. Islam is something good.

Q. How can you reduce subsidies of food and fuel prices, which consume so much of the government budget?

A. The subsidies program is a sensitive issue because it touches the standard of living of the people. We are going to find a way, perhaps by next year, but we have to be very careful.

Q. How would you describe your essential style of leadership?

A. In Egypt the people have been used to electric shocks, but that time has passed. I could give the people very good speeches, but I am not that type of man. I like to work quietly. The people want to eat, they want housing and water. I could easily provide some kind of anesthesia for the people, but I’m a man for long-term policies, not for electric shocks.