CAIRO: Any attempt to attack Iran s nuclear facilities would destabilize the Middle East and increase terrorism across the world, President Hosni Mubarak said in comments published Tuesday.
Speaking in an interview with an Egyptian weekly magazine, Mubarak also said that attempts to replace U.S. troops in Iraq with soldiers from Arab or Muslim-majority countries would not succeed.
Many Arab and Islamic countries are keen not to be involved in Iraq, Mubarak said.
Iraqis reject Arab, Islamic or any foreign troops on their land, regardless of their nationality, particularly in view of the acute sectarian disputes now taking place in Iraq, Mubarak said, referring to fighting between Muslim Shiite and Muslim Sunni militants.
Excerpts from the interview with Wednesday s edition of Al-Mussawar were published by the semi-official Middle East News Agency.
Diplomats of the five major powers on the U.N. Security Council worked in New York on Tuesday to agree on the wording of a resolution that is expected to censure Iran for its nuclear program. While the United States has said it seeks to use diplomacy in trying to contain what it perceives as a nuclear threat from Iran, it has refused to rule out using force.
Resorting to force to solve the Iranian nuclear issue will lead to regional problems, Mubarak said. It will contribute to rising terrorism, not only in the Middle East but in the whole world, including the United States.
The Egyptian president said the Iranian nuclear issue had to be handled wisely.
Iran insists on enriching uranium, a process that can produce material for nuclear bombs or fuel for power generators.
The United States and France accuse Iran of secretly aiming to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies this, saying its program is confined to generating electricity. AP
