President Hosni Mubarak warned Monday that a drawn-out war in Iraq will lead to an increase in Islamic militancy throughout the world. “If there is one (Osama) bin Laden now, there will be 100 bin Ladens afterward,” Mubarak said, referring to the al-Qaida terror network leader during a speech to army commanders in the city of Suez, 80 miles east of the capital, Cairo. The Egyptian president, however, insisted that international commitments obliged Egypt to keep the Suez Canal open to all vessels, including U.S. and British warships. Mubarak said international law gave Egypt the right to close the Suez Canal when it is in a state of war but only ships from belligerent nations can be denied access to the 101-mile waterway, which opened in 1869. “Crossing of ships of the Suez Canal is a right for all countries and is an international commitment that cannot be trampled with,” Mubarak said in his speech, which was broadcast live on Egyptian TV. Full Story
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