Mubarak is worried by the persistent and rising level of strikes around the country and the growing credibility of the Iranian regime in the Arab world because of its backing for Arab resistance movements Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
The two worries are of course connected: Hezbollah and Hamas represent a challenge to the collaborationist regime in Cairo on the Palestinian liberation front, undermining its legitimacy at home and feeding into the general social unrest in Egypt that pre-dates the world economic downturn and has been dramatically sharpened by it.
By Abdel-Rahman Hussein
President Hosni Mubarak sounded a warning to workers over “unlawful” strikes in a speech Wednesday to commemorate Labor Day, stating that it could hurt the economy during the current global crisis.While admitting that the government had also to do its part, Mubarak said that Egyptian workers had a responsibility to buckle down during this crisis, in an allusion to a recent plethora of workers’ strikes.
“I call to the workers who are not aware of the repercussions of this crisis, to a code of conduct that seeks to meet demands through constructive dialogue, and not through strikes that do not adhere to the statutes of the law and hinder productivity,” he said.
“This crisis will recede eventually, and we will come out of it still able to attract investment … but these circumstances entail that we face it [together],” he added...
...Mubarak also talked about the many conflicts in the region, stating that regional powers “we all know of” constituted a threat to the Middle East.
“It is sad that these powers raise the banner of Islam and say conflicting things and seek to deepen the differences between the Arab states … to achieve their objectives. It is also sad that these powers find supporters in the Arab world.”more at Daily News Egypt
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