PRESS RELEASE
Egyptian Daily Promotes LaRouche's Demands for Doubling Food Production as Mubarak Heads to Rome
June 1, 2008 (EIRNS)—The Sunday issue of the Egyptian official daily Al-Ahram is largely dedicated to discussing the food crisis and the "coherent"(sic) views of President Hosni Mubarak and Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Chairwoman of the German Civil Rights Movement Solidarity party and "the wife of American economist Lyndon LaRouche."
The front page announces that President Mubarak is going to Rome to participate in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) summit, and that "President Mubarak is going to take part in this highly significant summit concerning the food crisis, due to the political weight Egypt represents in Africa, the Arab countries and the world." Al-Ahram reports that in his speech president Mubarak is going to present Egypt's view of the crisis "emphasizing the right to food for the developing and poor countries, and recognizing the causes of the crisis and defining the realistic solutions establishing the joint collaboration of all nations in this matter." It also cites the Foreign Minister Ahmed Abulgheit as saying that President Mubarak "will call for an urgent international dialogue among the food and energy exporting and importing nations in order to reach solutions that would lead to ensuring the food requirements of the whole world's population." Abulgheit also said that Mubarak will be the first speaker among the world leaders.
The lead editorial titled "Egyptian Ideas for Solving the Food Crisis" goes into detail about what President Mubarak will propose. The lead editorial reflects the ideas of Helga Zepp-LaRouche on doubling the food production, banning biofuels, banning speculation and hoarding by multinational companies, and creating an international cooperation mechanism to deploy modern scientific breakthroughs and financing the means of modern agricultural production.
The editorial also proposes that Egypt, Sudan and Libya join forces to cultivate the millions of hectares that are idle today to grow food for themselves and the African and Arab nations.
The whole section "International Dossiers" in the Al-Ahram paper is dedicated to three items: a short report on Mubarak's trip to Rome, an extensive review of Helga Zepp-LaRouche's call "Instead of Wars of Starvation, Let Us Double Food Production" by Maha Nahhas under the title "The Crisis Is Grave and the Solutions Daring," and finally a long report by the Al-Ahram's Rome correspondent Mukhtar Shueib under the title "Mubarak Presents Egypt's View." The page contains pictures of President Mubarak speaking at the recent Davos meeting at Sharm El-Sheikh, a photo of Helga Zepp-LaRouche and the cover picture from EIR's May 16 issue.
The review of Helga's call by Maha Nahhas starts by asking what solutions will the Rome FAO summit adopt, and quotes from President Mubarak's speech in Sharm El-Sheikh (the same quotes which were translated and published by LaRouchePAC recently). Then she states: "This summit must put the developing and industrial nations on the right track to contain this current crisis. Among the most prominent visions that are worthy of respect that have been declared recently and are coherent with the views presented by President Mubarak at the Davos conference are the visions of Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder and chairwoman of the Civil Rights Movement Solidarity in Germany, in her article 'Humanity is in Mortal Danger: Instead of Wars of Starvation, Let Us Double Food Production,' which deserves a review of its meanings and implications that we have to thoroughly examine in this dossier while we follow what will take place at the Rome conference."
Nahhas quotes large parts of Helga's article but starts with saying: "LaRouche, who is at the same time the wife of the outstanding American economist Lyndon LaRouche, says in her article that the first priority in facing the food crisis is doubling the food production."
She further emphasizes that, "After laying down various facts and data about the causes of this crisis and the responsibility of the age of globalization, the super powers, and the international organizations such as the World Trade Organization for what is happening now, Helga LaRouche puts forward the urgent measures that are required by stating: 'There is only one response to the criminal and bankrupt policies of globalization.' "
Maha Nahhas lists in some detail Helga's demands: Doubling the food production; shutting down the WTO; a second 1green revolution; building infrastructure, especially water projects; establishing a New Bretton Woods system on the FDR model; agreeing on the construction of the Eurasian Land-Bridge as the backbone of world economic reconstruction and development; and convening a special summit of the UN General Assembly to discuss and make decisions on these measures.
In conclusion Nahhas picks the beautiful last part of Helga's call with the quotes from the U.S. Declaration of Independence. She states that "what LaRouche has just done is to forcefully join those who are demanding that the right to food be made one of the most important human rights which all nations of the civilized world, especially the United States and the EU must defend and protect this inalienable right, instead of all the screaming and raving they do to intervene in the internal affairs of other nations for what is less important."
The final report from the Rome correspondent of Al-Ahram, Mukhtar Shueib, lists what Mubarak is about to put on the table at the Rome conference. Many of the essential proposals are similar to what Helga and the Schiller Institute have been calling for. However, writing from Rome, the author's report is polluted with some axioms that are more on the Malthusian side of the matter such as citing overpopulation and climate change as being among the causes of the food crisis. Shueib claims, falsely, that this is among the issue Mubarak will discuss. This generated a strong protest from EIR-Arabic, which sent a message of support for Egypt and Mubarak to Al-Ahram, but warning strongly against such dangerous fallacies which are the intended agenda of the EU and the U.S.A. at this conference, and demanding that the Egyptians, Africans, and Arab leaders prepare themselves for the battle at Rome, because it going to be decisive for all mankind.
The link to the "International Dossiers" page in Al-Ahram is http://www.ahram.org.eg/Index.asp?CurFN=face0.htm&DID=9600.
The hard copy of Al-Ahram can be purchased at train stations in all major European cities.
