Now that the first round of the Egyptian presidential election is over, with two candidates clearly ahead of the pack, Egyptians are faced with the ultimate choice during the run-off election scheduled for June 16 and 17, wrote Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of the pan-Arab newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi in a column at the weekend.
While the results will not be official until Tuesday, the vote count shows that it is almost certain that the second and final round will be contested between Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, and Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force commander who later served as prime minister under President Hosni Mubarak at the height of the uprising that unseated him.
The Egyptian people will have to choose now between a conservatism that can potentially be extreme, given that Mr Morsi has come to represent not just moderate Islamists but also hard-line Salafists; and a figure from the past, Mr Shafiq, who may act as a facilitator of the old guard's comeback, the editor said.
Whatever the outcome of that ultimate choice, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) has a duty to respect it, the editor said.
"Scaf must be a fair arbiter and have no bias in favour of this or against that candidate, for there is a general perception that Scaf supports Ahmed Shafiq."
In fact, nobody really knows how Mr Shafiq made it to second place in the first round, beating candidates who, until a few days ago, were deemed favourites. Amr Moussa, the former foreign minister and head of the Arab League, was clearly in a better place to garner more votes, yet so far it looks like he is settling for fifth place.
In this context, the recent statements by Omar Suleiman, the chief of intelligence under the old regime, give reason for concern, the editor went on. "Mr Suleiman told Jihad Al Khazen, our colleague from Al Hayat newspaper, that the next president of Egypt should not be an Islamist, and if the Egyptian people elect an Islamist candidate into office, an army coup would not be unlikely."
In 1991, Algerian generals sabotaged the results of the polls to prevent the Islamists from gaining a majority in parliament, the editor recalled. Years of civil unrest ensued, costing the country 200,000 lives and a decade worth of development.
Hopefully, the second round will go smoothly, with as few irregularities as the previous round. If it does, the results will strictly hinge on each candidate's ability to convert the supporters of Hamdeen Sabahi, the dark-horse Nasserist candidate, and Moneim Aboul Fotouh, the independent Islamist who was considered a top seed.
Both candidates are expected to rank in third and fourth place, respectively.
Iran talks: too much of Israel, no Arab views
Israel did not attend the talks with Iran in Baghdad last week, yet it dominated all the sessions as if it were there, wrote columnist Mostafa Al Zein in yesterday's edition of the London-based newspaper Al Hayat.
"Israel has laid down its own specific requirements with a view to a prospective settlement, as if it were the only party concerned when it comes to Iran's [nuclear programme]," he said.
As stated by its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel wants uranium enrichment to completely stop in Iran, the nuclear facility in Qom to be dismantled and a permanent monitoring of other facilities across the country to be carried out.
The talks were attended by delegates from the US, the EU, the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China to find a way out of the regional crisis that Iran's nuclear programme is causing. The talks will be resumed in Moscow in mid-June.
"So the Arabs were completely absent … although their concern with Iran becoming a regional superpower is by no means secondary to Israel's," the writer said. "And you can see how this Arab unease plays out in … the struggle for influence in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, and how it fuels a regional arms race."
West-Iran talks are really about influence sharing in the Arab world, the writer concluded, a deal you can't have the Arabs partake in.
President Carter again speaks for Palestine
It seems that the former US president Jimmy Carter is intent on outperforming all those western senior officials "whose conscience awakens" after they leave office, commented Amjad Arar in the UAE-based newspaper Al Khaleej yesterday.
In a statement following his meeting last week with the Sheikh of Al Azhar, the prestigious Sunni establishment for Islamic scholarship in Cairo, Mr Carter criticised Israeli policies against the Palestinians and Washington's unconditional support for Israel, according to the writer.
Mr Carter, who brokered the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, also went on the record about the role of the Zionist lobby in US politics, noting that the lobby is working to prevent the incumbent US president, Barack Obama, from clinching a second term at the White House. Mr Carter said the Palestinian cause was gnawing at humanity's conscience.
Still, these strong words by Mr Carter, may not even be "as eloquent" as the declarations he made in his book Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, the writer said.
"In the book, he did not simply liken racism in Israel to the one that was practiced in South Africa; he actually described racism in Israel as a worse form of racism."
* Digest compiled by Achraf El Bahi
AElBahi@thenational.ae
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Apple product price list
iPad Pro
11" - $799 (64GB)
12.9" - $999 (64GB)
MacBook Air
$1,199
Mac Mini
$799
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Company%20profile
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now