Nobel laureate, Arab League chief might run

Reuters/AFP
February 5, 2011

Nobel Peace Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei said yesterday he could run in Egypt's presidential elections if the Egyptian people asked him to, denying a report in an Austrian newspaper that he would not run.

"This is not true," ElBaradei told the Al Jazeera news channel. "If the Egyptian people want me to continue the change process, I will not disappoint the Egyptian people."

ElBaradei has tended to answer the question of whether he wants to run for president by saying he was ready for a role in helping Egypt achieve political change. He has also said he would consider running if there was a prospect of a free and fair election.

"Naturally I want to play a part in the future, but who stands in the election, that's really not so important at the moment," he said. "But if the people want it, of course I would be available."

Also yesterday, charismatic Arab League chief Amr Mussa -whose second term as head of the 22-member league ends in two months -said he might run for the presidency.

"Why say no?" Mussa said. "I am of course at the service of my country. ... I am ready to serve as a citizen who has the right to be a candidate," he told France's Europe 1 radio before making an appearance at Tahrir Square, the focal point of the anti-Mubarak protests.

Mussa, 74, a former foreign minister, is a dynamic figure with a quick sense of humor and charisma that often eclipsed that of his former boss Mubarak. His popularity stems from his strong stands against Israel and language that appeals to the Arab street.

Days after a popular uprising in Tunisia, Mussa warned during an Arab summit in Egypt of the "unprecedented anger" in the region, sealing his legacy as an Arab public figure in touch with the people.

European and Arab diplomats believe he is a candidate who could appeal to both the people and international figures.

"There is an avenue for Amr Mussa. He is compatible with the current establishment. He was part of the system before being sidelined," a senior European diplomat told AFP.

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Source: The Montreal Gazette.
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