Mubarak Terms Reports on Saddam's Exile as 'Incorrect'

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 24, 2003

Mubarak Terms Reports on Saddam's Exile as 'Incorrect'

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday termed as "incorrect" some reports that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein will go into exile and stay in an Arab country.

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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday termed as "incorrect" some reports that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein will go into exile and stay in an Arab country.

Mubarak made it clear in a dialogue with a group of Arab and Egyptian intellectuals following the opening ceremony of the 35th Cairo International Book Fair.

"However, it is important for Saddam to avoid making the same mistake as he did in the 1991 Gulf War and not to think that the US military buildup in the Gulf region at present is just for demonstration," he said.

"Any war on Iraq will lead to instability in the Middle East and badly affect Egypt's tourism sector as well as regional and global economy," he warned.

Egypt and other Arab countries have recently denied any talk about Hussein's possible exile to avert a US-led war on Iraq, reiterating that a regime change should be decided internally.

"As for the change of regime, Saudi Arabia and Egypt believe that it is something that should come from inside, not outside," Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told reporters after meeting with Mubarak in Cairo on Tuesday.

The remarks were in contrast to the US gesture that Saddam's self-imposed exile is the best way out of the Iraqi standoff.

The United States, which accuses Iraq of secretly developing and hiding weapons of mass destruction, is stepping up preparations for the anticipated Iraqi war.

Egypt has called for a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis, fearing that any war on Iraq would destabilize the already worsening regional situation and hurt its economy.

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