Text 43 An interview with Ayman Nour, the Egyptian MP and main challenger of President Hosni Mubarak in the forthcoming elections.
We need to change the country after 24 years of military dictatorship, 24 years of deterioration on the social, economic and political level. Our generation has been banned from playing our role in society and we’d like to break this monopoly that the regime holds over everything.
It’s not steadiness as much as it is a state of oppression and a state of constant pressure. It’s as if they put Egypt into a freezer.
This is a big lie, linking democracy to instability. There are many countries with both stability and democracy. Dictatorships like our country use this threat – that Islamic rule will rise if democracy is advanced – to frighten the West. The Islamists will not come to power in Egypt even if there is democracy.
This is my message and they might support it. We have nothing in common with them and we wouldn’t form an alliance with them but we will give rights to all Egyptians and they will also benefit from it.
I think the United States is doing a good job but I also believe hundreds of millions of Arabs have suffered from oppression of dictatorships that were actually supported and are still being supported by the US administration.
Bitter. We are victims of two sides – the Americans who have forced us to accept dictatorships, such as our current President’s, to preserve their dominance in this part of the world, and the leaderships here that stir up anti-Americanism to remain in power.
The list is long and starts with cancelling the emergency laws. I would declare that I’m only going to serve as president for two years. My plans include setting up a national body to draft a new constitution for Egypt as a parliamentary republic. This would open the door fully to political parties. I would also stop talking about issues that have nothing to do with Egypt, such as Iraq and Palestine and focus on domestic affairs and relationships with neighbouring countries like Sudan.
But don’t you think that this has also been the time of relative stability?
Why are you running?
How do you feel about it?
What would you expect the United States to do about President Mubarak?
What if real democracy in Egypt and in the Middle East would allow radical Muslim parties to take control?
How would you describe your priorities as the country’s president?
What are the chances that Islamic figures would back up a liberal candidate advocating opening the political system to all?
What’s your view on American efforts to spread democracy in the Middle East?
Text 44 An interview with the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, talking about the scheduled parliamentary elections.
I don’t think so. First of all, Azerbaijan is a presidential republic. Second, the people have confidence in the government and its reforms. Third, the specific characteristics of our opposition: unlike other former Soviet republics, it was in power in 1992-93, and basically it flopped. So, there are no realistic conditions for a coup in Azerbaijan.
A successful state cannot be built without public control, no matter how much oil the country has. That is my deep conviction and one of the priorities of my political work. But when 40% of the population is below the poverty line and a year and a half ago it was almost 50%, democratisation is not the subject that worries people the most.
Well, everything in a country reflects that. And it’s impossible to establish standards in it that are premature. At present the political standards of Western Europe and North America cannot be transferred to Azerbaijan. But a policy of development must be pursued. For a person who knows the real world, moving in reverse - toward conservatism and the isolation of our country - is simply disastrous.
It all depends on your agenda. If you just want to spend 5 or 10 years as your country’s leader, that’s one thing. But if you want the country to change, you can’t do it without taking major steps even if it sometimes means forcing the reforms on people. I want Azerbaijan to become a prosperous country during my tenure in office.
I wish it hadn’t happened. But the opposition, realizing that it had lost, launched an effort to take power by force. The dispersal of the demonstrators was something we had to do. I am in favour of dialogue at the table, not on the streets. But how will the opposition behave on this Election Day and afterwards? That I don’t know.
I cannot imagine that ever happening. We are pursuing a realistically independent foreign policy, and it is balanced with regard to our neighbours. In general, the most important thing in our region is to maintain a balance. So, nobody should have any fears.
I can easily imagine it. Sometimes I even dream about it. It was my reality not long ago. I was still outside. I definitely have to think about that. Life doesn’t end with the end of tenure, does it?
Do you envision a career outside politics?
Do you think the upcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan could spark a revolution?
Do you think there will be violent protests of the opposition like during the 2003 presidential election?
Would you agree that Azerbaijan has stopped short at the stage of so-called controlled democracy?
Don’t you think that carrying out reforms from the top is the same as imposing them on people?
Might Iranian nuclear weapons program become a threat for Azerbaijan?
Do you mean that the level of political freedoms in a country corresponds to its level of development?
What about the concerns of Iran that Azerbaijan may become US outpost on the Caspian?
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Part Three
Read the texts and choose the best answer A, B, C or D.
