Mooted UNESCO chief may eat his words

"The man who would burn books," headlines Libération. The man in question is Farouk Hosni, age 71, who has been Egypt's Minister of Culture for the last 22 years. Last year, he told the Egyptian parliament, "If there were Israeli books in Egyptian libraries, I would burn them myself." However, this is just one of many hostile remarks that Hosni has made with regard to Jews. Naturally, his candidacy for the post of Secretary General of UNESCO has sparked controversy. In recent weeks, several intellectuals have publicly criticized the anti-Semitism of this "firebrand" whose bid to lead UNESCO is supported by France. A key issue in this "diplomatic kerfuffle" is the question of Union for the Mediterranean, which was launched with great pomp and circumstance by Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008, and which is co-chaired by Egypt. In the wake of the 2009 war in Gaza, Arab states expressed serious reservations about the UfM. However, Egypt "will do its utmost to reinstate a semblance of dialogue… if a serious effort is made to save Farouk Hosni," explains the French daily.