Egyptian Government Comments on President Obama's Speech in Cairo

Egyptian Government Comments on President Obama's Speech in Cairo

CAIRO, Egypt, June 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Egyptian Prime Minister Doctor Ahmed Nazif was interviewed by CBS News Correspondent Lara Logan. The interview aired on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric Wednesday evening, June 3, in advance of U.S. President Barack Obama's address to the Muslim World.

In the interview with Ms. Logan, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said that the speech came at a critical time:

"Time is working against us," Nazif said. "I think time is of the essence -- we need to work fast and this is the message we've been getting from the administration ... I think it's very important that it would happen in the first year of this administration." He continued, "The Israeli-Palestinian issue is the core -- you solve this problem and you'll find that many other issues have to fall in line."

Prime Minister Nazif, the second youngest prime minister in the history of modern Egypt, has led a team of technocrats which has successfully modernized Egypt's economy, reduced inflation and produced a number of significant constitutional reforms. He is also known for his expertise in information technology (IT) and telecommunications.

For more on the interview, please click here.

Mr. Gamal Mubarak, son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, was interviewed by ABC Co-Anchor Christopher Cuomo. The interview aired this morning on ABC's Good Morning America immediately following President Obama's address to the Muslim World.

Mr. Mubarak commented on the U.S. role in the Middle East and President Obama's trip to the Middle East:

"If you really want to address the real issue in the region, if you are to re-establish U.S. leadership in that very important part of the world, this is the beginning and the start of a message of respect, a message of understanding, a message of reaching out ... this is a sign of strength."

Mr. Mubarak currently holds the position of Deputy Secretary General of the National Democratic Party (NDP) of Egypt, which holds a large majority of seats in the Egyptian parliament. He also heads the party's policies-setting committee within the NDP.

Please click here for video of the interview.

This material is distributed by Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates on behalf of the Egyptian Press and Information Office. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

Source: Egyptian Press and Information Office

CONTACT: Elana Stein, +1-202-777-3517, estein@clsdc.com, for Egyptian
Press and Information Office

Web Site: http://www.cbsnews.com/
http://www.abcnews.go.com/

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