Seth Merl

President Hosni Muhammed Mubarak
Republic of Egypt
Born: 1928

"Peace, as far as we are concerned, is a strategic
commitment and not a tactical position"
"We would like all of us to come to the negotiating table-
Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, Israelis."
"Only through our unwavering commitment to this objective
can we truely honor the memory of this fallen hero of peace. 
And I could say that is the best memorial to Yitzhak Rabin."
	
	I was born in 1928, in the small delta village of Kafr
al-Musaliha, northeast of Cairo; the son of a petty official
of common stock.  After a secondary education, I went on to
graduate from the Military College in 1949 and Air Force
Academy in 1950.  From there, I commanded a bomber squadron
in the Yemen Civil War.  Following active duty, I returned
to become an instructor at the Academy from 1954-1964.
	After attending a full year at the Soviet General Staff
Academy in Russia from 1961-1962, I returned to Egypt
climbing the ranks through the Air Force to the position of
Commander in Chief by 1971.  With this, I played a key role
in the preparations for the 1973 War with Israel.  I was
appointed Vice President in 1975 by President Sadat, being
seen as a professional rather than a politician.  I followed
his lead and policies, and was responsible for state
security and organization of the ruling National Democratic
Party.
	I was sworn in as president of Egyprt on October 14,
1981 after Sadat was assasignated by Islamic
fundamentalists.  My new role was that of party chief,
leader of domestic and all foreign affairs.  Upon taking
office, I was committed  to honoring the terms of the Camp
David Accords while restoring ties with other Arab nations. 
At home, great economic and agricultural changes were
needed.
	I was seen as less charismatic and flamboyant as my
predecessors.  With a low key, measured fashion, I gave less
stress on personality and leadership.  Others have described
me as solid, hard working, honest, and cautious rather than
a brilliant tribune.  I belive I proved to posess the
necessary authority in quickly establishing my position
through the chaos following Sadats death.
	In an attempt to rebuild the crumbling infrastructure
and reshape the economy of Egypt, I attacked corruption,
toned down liberalization, and imposed stricter state
controls.  I made no changes to Sadat's policies, and
embarked on a few of my own.  My country became close allies
with the US through military aid, the fight against
terrorism, and numerous meetings with President Clinton and
his predecessors.  I also re-opened relations with the
Soviets in 1984, gaining a balance from both east and west. 
I made sure to stick with earlier peace accords with Israel,
however at this time it became a "cold," straigned peace
after Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982, for which I
pulled my ambasodor from Tel Aviv.  
	Having a great desire to effect a reconciliation with
the Arab states without reniging on Israeli peace, I began a
campaign to re-enter the Arab League through my sensitive
approach to other Arab leaders.  In establishing good
relations with King Hussein of Jordan and Assad of Syria
with my conciliatory style, I coordinated Egypt's return to
her previous leadership position of the Arab world.  Through
this, I have become a key player and mediator of the ongoing
Arab-Israeli peace process.  Through my good relations with
both Yasser Arafat of the PLO and Shimon Peres of Israel, I
have been used to bring the different players to the table,
especially Syria and Lebanon, mainly through hosting peace
talks.
	The cheif opposition to my rule has come from home. 
Islamic fundamentalists have attempted to bring down the
government through terrorist attacks on tourists and Western
organizations.  In 1995, there was an assasignation attempt
on my life while visiting Etheopia.  Due to these unstable
times, I have become very dependant on my close friend
Safwat el-Sherif, head of the Information Ministry, and on
various intelligence services, along with the Ministry of
the Interior.  However, through this strife and heated
international politics, I have been re-elected twice by a
large margin.  For this I am very proud. 
	With Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1991, I came down
very hard on the policies of Sadam Hussein and sent troops
to goin the American led coalition.  I reasserted my
credentials with Isreal by strongly denouncing Iraqi missile
attacks on Tel Aviv.  I believe this was the right action to
take, in speaking out against Iraq, despite the fact they
are my Arab bretheren.
	I recently made my first ever trip to Israel to attend
the funeral services of Yitzhak Rabin.  One of only a
handful of Arab leaders, I felt it necessary to show my
ongoing support for Israel, a support which has undoubtably
risen in the past few years of negotiations.  I was given
the honor of eulogizing a true commrade in the fight for
peace, a battle which I am truely commited to.  Knowing that
I came close to death due to my efforts for peace, I had to
come to Israel to show respect for a man that died working
for the cause I shall continue to strive for.

Physical Description:
I stand 5 feet, 7 inches tall
A am a bit overweight, at 235 pounds
Being Arab, my skin is naturally dark