The United States would be making a catastrophic mistake if it attacked Iran to destroy the country's nuclear programme, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was quoted as saying on Saturday. "If the U.S. were really to attack Iran it would be a mistake of catastrophic proportions. Then terror and violence on a scale that put what we have seen so far in the shade would spread over the Middle East and soon after to the whole world," Mubarak told the German magazine Der Spiegel. "I hope it does not come to that," he added.
Mubarak said he was sad that warnings he had issued about the impact of a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq were not heeded, but he saw no point in U.S. troops pulling out now."If the Americans pull out their troops now, chaos would break out with catastrophic consequences ... The Americans can only go when they have got the Iraqis themselves in a position to solve their own security problems," he said. Mubarak said the only solution he saw to Iraq's security situation was the formation of a new army and police force.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L18709809.htmThe Egyptian President, moreover, urged the U.S. to withdraw it forces from cities and towns in Iraq, noting that they should be replaced by Iraqi forces without any delay.“The Americans simply are not in a position to ensure security,” Mr. Mubarak explained. The U.S. claims that Iran is covertly trying to produce nuclear weapons and threatens to refer Iran’s nuclear file to the UN Security council for possible economic sanctions. Mr. Mubarak then turned to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, expressing optimism that the peace process can be revived.
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=6184