Sarkozy Does Egypt, Vice on the Nile, Kirkuk to Fester
Sarko and Carla Lebanon's (s)election of a president, rescheduled for Saturday Dec 29, will almost certainly be postponed again, for the 11th time. The two sides, both bolstered or pressured by their foreign and Arab financiers, will not reach an agreement on the details, even though both accept the former army chief as the next president. Interesting how Lebanon, presumably democratic, will always look to military men to lead the country in times of crisis, just like most Arab states. The last president, Emile Lahoud was also a former army man.
French president Nicolas Sarkozy has arrived in Egypt to spend his New Year holiday with his girl friend. He will check into a room or a suite with his lover, and they will share the same bed- otherwise they will not be French. I wish Sarko and his friend an enjoyable vacation and a happy New Year...and a great time together when the moment is right, as the TV commercial says. But as a European, he is getting special treatment.
I recall a friend of mine from Kuwait who took his new bride for their honeymoon to Egypt some years ago. Trying to check into the hotel where they had a reservation, they were asked for an official marriage certificate before being allowed to ener the same room. His family had to fax a copy of the certificate, and even then it took some pleading to allow the couple to share a room without an original copy. This is a special practice that is offered only travelers from Arab countries and Egyptians. A European or an American can have a verital menage a trois, or menage a quatre, in any Egyptian hotel without an eyebrow being raised. An Arab tourist can have one or two or more 'professional' women in his room with no trouble, especially if he bribes the concierge. But an Arab couple without a marriage certificate is an absolute taboo, that is non-non. Is this hypocrisy or self-hate, or both?
On a less serious note: Iraqi Kurds have agreed to postpone the referendum that would return Kirkuk to Kurdistan for a period of six months. The issue is alive and well, but will just have to fester for now, while the Iraqis, the Bush administration, and the meddling Turks dicker. BTW: why doesn't anyone object to, decry, this blatant Turkish interference in Iraqi affairs? Almost everybody in the Arab world and the Middle East, and probably even in Katmandu, Guangdong and Papeete, believes that the Turkish military have the green light from Washington for this. Everybody, that is, except the State Department spokesman.
Cheers
mhg
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