Mubarak: Resistance is legitimate

Egypt's president says Hizbullah is "part of the Lebanese national fabric."

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
mubarak 298.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
mubarak 298.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
"Resisting the occupier is a legitimate right under the condition that it springs from free will and in accordance to the supreme national interest," Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Saturday. In the published interview, he also appeared to soften his stance on Hizbullah, calling the guerrilla group "part of the Lebanese national fabric." Mubarak was among some Arab leaders who initially blamed Hizbullah for carrying out an "uncalculated adventures" when the group kidnapped IDF soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser on July 12, sparking the deadly conflict that lasted 34 days before a cease-fire went into effect Monday. Mubarak came under sharp criticism by other leaders including Syrian President Bashar Assad, who said Tuesday that "we do not ask anyone to fight with us or for us ... But he should at least not adopt the enemy's views." In an apparent response, Mubarak said in the interview that the region shouldn't tolerate "cheap rhetoric." Egypt's president said Saturday that the United States should refrain from taking military action against Iran because doing so would create instability not just in the Middle East but around the world, according to a published report. "The conflict between the United States and Iran should be solved through diplomacy and direct dialogue because striking Iran means the end of stability in the region and the world," he told the semiofficial weekly Akhbar el-Yom newspaper.