CAIRO: Egypt has “categorically denied” claims made by former US President George Bush in his memoir “Decision Points” that President Hosni Mubarak had said Saddam Hussein possessed WMD.
Egypt denied that Mubarak had made such a claim as Bush alleged in his book, nor did he attempt to influence Bush into invading Iraq in 2003. Egypt reiterated its public stance made at the time that invading Iraq was an unwise decision.
Bush writes in his recently published memoir that Mubarak had warned General Tommy Franks that Iraq possessed “biological weapons and was certain to use them on our troops.”
American experts have stated that in private many Arab leaders supported the invasion of Iraq despite their public statements to the contrary.
Bush continued that Mubarak had “refused to make the allegation in public for fear of inciting the Arab street. But the intelligence from a Middle Eastern leader who knew Saddam well had an impact on my thinking.”
Presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad denied Bush’s claims in a statement released by the state news agency MENA, and said that Mubarak warned that an invasion of Iraq would violate international law.
Awad also said that Mubarak had invited Bush’s father, George Sr., to warn his son of the dangers of invading the oil-rich Gulf nation. Mubarak stated “his fears of the proposed invasion hoping that Bush Sr. would pass along the message to his son.”
According to Awad, Mubarak had said that “an invasion would not be an easy mission because it would provoke fierce resistance during which Iraq would use all the arms at its disposal.”
“Decision Points” was recently released in the US and in it Bush attempts to defend his legacy over 14 chapters, each covering a key ‘decision point’ he undertook during his presidency. Foremost amongst them were the decision to invade Iraq and the response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
