Egyptian-American scholar and Nobel prize winner Ahmed Zewail calls for Mubarak to step down

[Joanne98]

Source: AP

CAIRO — Egyptian-American scholar and Nobel laureate Ahmed Zewail added his weight Sunday to calls for President Hosni Mubarak to step down to help end the standoff with anti-government protesters.

Zewail, who has been living in the United States, returned to Egypt Sunday and met with government officials and young protesters to help mediate a resolution as protests continued for a 13th day.

"I call on President Hosni Mubarak, leader of the largest country in the Middle East, to give up power to another leader and make history in the Middle East," he said at a news conference.

Zewail, winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in chemistry, met with Vice-President Omar Suleiman, who is leading talks with the opposition for the government. Zewail also met with religious leaders and with Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who has put his name forward as a possible presidential candidate.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5i37HQit_nKUUKkNt91Afzz1Wj26Q?docId=5872392

[caraher]

1. Interesting...

That's a long way from photochemistry with ultrafast laser pulses. I wonder how people returning are regarded by the protestors (in general)?

In 1990-91 I worked in a multidisciplinary research center and there were people with many backgrounds there. One chemist was Egyptian and it was from him that I first heard serious criticism of Mubarak. In his eyes there was scarcely an ounce of difference between Mubarak and Saddam Hussein and felt it was incredibly hypocritical to mount a war to eject the latter from Kuwait in alliance with all the "crooks" that ran most of the other Middle Eastern nations allied with us then.

When the war started in earnest he also told some tales of his experiences in the Egyptian army in 1973. He knew what it meant to be under bombardment.

[Joanne98]

2. That's interesting. Thanks for sharing.

:hi:

[caraher]

3. And thanks for the OP