ElBaradei Says Egypt’s Former President Mubarak Must Face Trial

Egyptian political leader Mohamed ElBaradei said former President Hosni Mubarak must face trial, a demand of many of the protesters whose uprising ended Mubarak’s three-decade rule.

“There is no other option,” ElBaradei said in an interview with Charlie Rose, according to a transcript. “I think he will not be able to get away without being put to trial.”

ElBaradei reiterated his intention to contest Egypt’s first presidential elections since Mubarak’s ouster. He added that he won’t run “unless I am satisfied that this is a free and fair election.”

Among the politicians who have announced plans to run for president, ElBaradei had a 25 percent “very favorable” rating, behind Arab League chief Amre Moussa with 41 percent and opposition activist Ayman Nour with 32 percent, according to a survey by Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project whose findings were released on April 25. ElBaradei has helped reinvigorate an Egyptian opposition that forced Mubarak from office in February after 18 days of mass demonstrations.

In the interview, the former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency urged the West to engage Iran. “Iran could be a very positive force -- clearly in Iraq, clearly in Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza,” he said. “We need to find finally a solution to the standoff between Iran and the West. It’s a win-win situation.”

He also called for “somebody in the chain of command” in the U.S. and U.K. to “be held accountable” for waging what he said was “an illegal war that resulted in war crime” in Iraq.

To contact the reporters on this story: Mariam Fam in Cairo at mfam1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net.