Asked about current political developments in Egypt, Mubarak said: “I am really sad.” He also commented on the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule.
“[The people] chose them,” he said, adding that he was unsure whether the Brotherhood would remain in power for long.
American pressure on Egypt
Mubarak aired his views on the U.S.’s role in the Middle East, stating “all what concerns America is guaranteeing Israel’s security.”
He also said that the Americans had continuously pressured Egypt to establish military bases in Egypt and that he always refused.
“[Late defense minister Abdelhalim] Abu Ghazleh came once to me and said the Americans requested to build a base here and I agreed. I told him: You have no authority to approve that and neither do I. You don’t own (Egypt) and neither do I.
“When I later met with the then-U.S. Secretary of Defense during an official visit to the U.S., he told me Abu Ghazleh approved establishing a military base. I told him the Egyptian constitution allows neither Abu Ghazleh nor me to approve that. Such an issue requires the approval of the parliament, and even if the latter approves, a popular referendum is required. I ended the subject there. They have more than once requested establishing bases in West Cairo and Burj al-Arab. They wanted bases at any expense.” Mubarak also stated that the U.S. had attempted to assert control over Egypt’s communications systems.
“Then they wanted to establish an electronic network for the armed forces. This is of course so Israel and America monitor [the armed forces]. I told the defense minister to make them forget about it. But they returned later wanting to connect all Cairo central terminals with Ramsis’, and they actually agreed on that with the telecommunications minister.”
Mubarak said that he was informed of the American plan by the armed forces and realized that such a plan, if carried out, would allow the U.S. to paralyze all communications in Egypt.
“This means that when work at Ramsi’s central terminal stops, all communications in Egypt stop. I summoned the telecommunications minister and told him: ‘So in this case, any phone call made passes through Ramsis central.’ He said the Americans will do this for free.’ I told him: ‘Don’t you dare approve that. He said that the Americans had already connected Giza’s central terminal with Ramsi’s. So I told him to just obstruct the plan at this point.”
Grandson’s death, a turning point
During the interview Mubarak revealed that the death of his grandson, Mohamed Alaa, in 2009 was a turning point in his life.
He further commented on the emotional trauma he says he underwent after his ouster.
“They now want to humiliate me from the hospital to the prison to the court. They think this humiliates me. No. I have seen worse in my life…I simply live now and I am not afraid. God knows it all.”
Mubarak, however, refused to talk about the January 2011 events that led to his ouster saying: “I don’t like to talk about this. It’s over now.”
However he did comment on reports that he was advised to sack former commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Mohamed Tantawi, in 2011 to save the regime from collapsing.
“If I had killed him then, people would have made a hero out of him. They would have said that I requested he opens fire on protesters and that he said no so I killed him.”
Al-Watan has split the interview into a two-part series, with the second section to be published on Thursday.
