NAM foreign ministers begin meeting amid tight security
NAM foreign ministers begin meeting amid tight security
CAIRO (JP): The 11th Foreign Ministers Conference of the Non-
Aligned Movement member countries was opened yesterday amid very
tight security, creating a chaotic situation for many member
delegates and journalists attending the opening ceremony.
Journalists had to be stopped at several checkpoints and those
carrying bags had to be searched by security officials, despite
the fact that the reporters had their identification cards
visibly attached to their clothing.
Member delegates attending the meeting could not leave the
conference room while Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was
talking to chief delegates at the conference.
Even those who tried to leave the conference room after the
president had departed were barred by security officials,
including Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati.
Velayati, chief delegate of his country, looked baffled for a
moment while officials of the Iranian embassy in Egypt tried to
explain to the guards who he was. Unable to pass through the
checkpoint, Velayati and his groups turned back to the conference
hall, smiling.
The same also happened to a number of chief delegates.
The main boulevards leading to the magnificent Cairo
International Conference Center was lined up with soldiers and
security officers, each standing around 30 meters a part.
The Conference Center lies not far from Tombs of the Unknown
Soldiers where Mubarak's predecessor, Anwar Sadat, is also
buried.
Right in front of the heroes cemetery is the podium where
Sadat was assassinated by the Moslem fundamentalists while
watching the military parade many years ago.
The Organizing Committee of the Conference didn't seem
prepared to provide journalists with the manuscript of speeches
delivered by chief delegates at the meeting yesterday.
To make matters worse, President Hosni Mubarak's opening
address was delivered in Arabic and wasn't translated into
English, leaving many non-Arab journalists baffled and
frustrated. Many foreign reporters from Asia and the West
complained, but it seemed that officials simply turned a deaf
ear. (ego)