The Secretary of the NDP Policies Department Gamal Mubarak met on 4/9/2008 with inhabitants of al-Asayed village of Sharqiya Governorate. During the meeting, Mr. Gamal confirmed that the National Democratic Party admits that some Egyptian villages suffer from poverty, adding that the NDP is committed to an action plan to address this problem with objectivity. He also said it is the duty of the NDP and the government to work to meet the needs of the public. Gamal Mubarak pointed out that the NDP is aware of the fact that economic reform has consequences one of which is a mounting gap between the categories of the societies.

 

However, reform would not stop given that it provides the additional resources which contribute to meeting the needs of the poor. Hence, the NDP proposed a plan to develop 1,000 villages, the most underdeveloped ones in Egypt. Statistics show that one third of the poor in Egypt are in these 1,000 villages most of which are located in Upper Egypt. In fact, this meeting took place before the holding of the annual congress of the NDP; therefore, the working papers to be prepared and the recommendations to be made will take into account the results of this meeting. Mr. Gamal Mubarak also said meetings are currently taking place between the NDP and the government to prepare the working papers on combating the challenges of poverty. In truth, the policies of the social justice are now turning from just studies into real plans and programs to the satisfaction of the average people.

 

If the whole world is on the verge of a new world order, the Middle East begins to adopt a new regional order. The Turkish and the Syrians have realized this fact given that Turkey is playing a pivotal role in the region and Syria is taking the lead and Tehran is turning into a regional power before being a nuclear one. However, the complete failure of the US-led war on Iraq and the decline of the Arab nationalism trend as well as the rising prices of oil have led to the change of the regional order and the emergence of a different one that might lead to a new Middle East.

 

For example, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is no longer given priority in the West given that the possible confrontation with Iran has topped the agenda of Israel and the United States; hence, Tehran-Washington conflict is intensifying over the future of the Gulf and the region. In addition, finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict cannot take place away from the local agents of Iran: Hamas and Hezbollah. Surprisingly, the strategic importance Iran enjoys in the region has been due to the US failed invasion of Iraq which led to the collapse of that country.

 

On the other hand, when reading between the lines of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Damascus, it is crystal clear the Syrian-Israeli negotiations would move to a new level. Moreover, one should not ignore the new missile technology which changed the threat concept of Israel and undermined the strategic value of the Golan Heights. The Scud B missile-with a range of 300 kilometers- and Scud C missile-with a range of 500 kilometers-which Syria possesses, pose a threat to Israel. Yet, Syria does no longer constitute a big danger to Israel. The big danger comes from Iran given that it possesses missiles the range of which can hit Israel. The Syrian-Iranian alliance has been on the agenda of Sarkozy's talks in Damascus despite the fact that Damascus is not expected to end its alliance with Iran.

 

No doubt, the Damascus-Tehran relations have been affected given Syria's indirect negotiations with Israel through the Turkish mediator. But, Damascus rejects to end this alliance and says it is capable of assuming the role of the bridge of communication with Tehran.