CAIRO/JEDDAH, 8 October 2005 — The Egyptians were as surprised as the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed El-Baradei when they woke up to the fact that the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Egyptian diplomat jointly with the organization he runs.

The head of the international nuclear watchdog thus became the fourth Egyptian to receive the annual coveted yet somewhat controversial prize since the Nobel committee was founded in 1901.

There were mixed Egyptian reactions to the award being granted to Baradei and it reflected the various controversies surrounding the activities of the IAEA. The agency has been in the media spotlight particularly since it became involved in inspections for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) which never bore any fruit. More recently, Baradei has been focusing the agency’s work on investigating Iran and North Korea.

For many Egyptians, the fact that Baradei never offered the Americans the justification they were seeking to enter Iraq was “one of the main reasons why the Nobel committee chose to reward him,” said Mohamed Sayyed Said, director of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

“The committee made a political choice to reward a man and an institution whose work followed the European line on nuclear weapons and Iraq, and in a sense the prize was more intended to reflect the essentially European ratification of work against nuclear proliferation than it was to directly reward Baradei,” the political analyst added.

“I know Baradei well,” said Sameh Drar, former Egyptian ambassador to Norway. “He and I both entered the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in 1964, and I can guarantee that he really deserves to be honored in this way. As a diplomat, he is cool and collected - among the best. And he also works with exceptional integrity.”

“I am very happy,” business consultant Timur El-Hadidi said. “I’m happy that an Egyptian won the prize. And I am also pleased the award went to a man with professional integrity who did not provide the Americans with the nonexistent evidence that they were seeking in order to invade Iraq.” Journalist Lotfy Shawki agreed, saying that “Baradei is a real professional, he met the expectations of his agency’s agenda, and it is for this reason that he has been rewarded.”

However, many felt that although the head of the IAEA did not provide the United States with the direct support that they may have wanted to invade Iraq, “ Baradei did not do enough to stop them, despite being absolutely certain that the deposed regime of Saddam Hussein was not developing WMDs,” a female political science student at the American University in Cairo said, asking to remain anonymous. “All I can say is what a pity he could not prevent the war.”

Ibrahim Ashour, an Arabic teacher, countered her statement, however, saying that “today I am very proud that an Egyptian has received the Nobel Peace Prize. Any accusations that Baradei was in league with the US are baseless. That he could not stop the war only corresponds to the fact that no international body has the power today to veto a stand taken by the world’s only superpower — even the United Nations could not stop the invasion from taking place. Why should we blame Baradei specifically for this failure? It’s a reality that all sectors of civil society face today.”

Said agreed, saying that “Baradei’s failure to counter nuclear activities in countries such as Israel, which are deeply involved in the search to develop nuclear weapons is not directly his fault - it is a problem encountered by any member of civil society who seeks to abide by the rules of international law, while being faced with restrictions imposed by the global status quo.”

“You see,” said lawyer Abdel Moneim Taha, “although I am very proud to be an Egyptian, an Arab and a Muslim on an occasion like this, I am also very aware that the specific connotations of the Nobel Peace Prize are very negative. I know that every time it is awarded to someone it is to reward him or her for following a political line that is supportive of the world’s ruling powers. We should not be surprised or disappointed, given the nature of the prize itself.”

Meanwhile, state media outlets portrayed the event in a patriotic light, focusing on the fact that Baradei is the fourth Egyptian to have received the Nobel Prize, the others being former President Anwar Sadat, scientist Ahmed Zuweil and novelist Naguib Mahfouz. Local television channels also portrayed Baradei as one of the leaders of the world movement to eradicate the use of nuclear energy for military means.

A number of Egyptians working in the Kingdom have expressed their happiness over Baradei’s winning the prize. Shaker Abdul Aziz, a leading Egyptian journalist, said Baradei deserved the international honor thanks to his effort to limit nuclear arms. “This is a victory for all Egyptians,” he said. He hoped that Baradei would take an impartial stand, without leaning to the West, while dealing with issues related to nuclear weapons.

Taha Kasba, also a journalist, expressed his happiness over Baradei’s victory and hoped that it would encourage new Egyptian generations to work hard and make greater achievements of international importance.

Abdussamad Fakkar, an accountant, said that there are many Egyptian and Arab scientists who deserve the international prize. However, he pointed out that the Nobel Prize Committee did not consider Dr. Rushdi Fakkar, one of the first Arabs nominated for the prize in literature because of his Islamic thinking and views. Shukri Khaleel, a maintenance worker, said Baradei was given the prize for keeping mum on Israel’s nuclear weapons and facilities.