Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouq Husni: No Cultural Exchange with Israel before Peace Agreement with Palestinians; I Respect Garaudy but Do Not Agree with His Opinions

Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouq Husni, which aired on Al-Mihwar TV on July 29, 2009:

Farouq Husni: My position is well known, and I have reiterated it a thousand times. Our relationship with Israel is at a complete standstill, as long as there is no lasting peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. I believe that there can be no cultural exchange, unless there are two states, Israel and Palestine, side by side, with a peace treaty between them. In such a case, we are ready to begin with this. But otherwise – no.

Interviewer: In other words, Farouq Husni, who invited the French philosopher and Holocaust denier Garaudy in 2001, is the same Farouq Husni who invited the Israeli conductor Barenboim in 2009?

Farouq Husni: No, it is not the same person. First of all, I respect Garaudy, but it wasn't me who invited him. Let me clarify this. It wasn't me who invited him. I wasn't asked about this. Nevertheless, he a respectable person and a great author, even if I don't agree with his opinions on many things. I am talking about him the way he is: a great man of thought and culture. As for Barenboim, I invited him in his capacity as a Palestinian. He is a Palestinian, is he not? He has Palestinian citizenship, and I cannot be holier than the Pope.