Cairo: Egypt's Nobel Laureate Mohammad Al Baradei, a possible contender in the nation's next presidential elections, returned to the homeland on Friday amid a massive welcome from opposition and tight security.
Al Baradei, the former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, arrived at Cairo airport aboard an Austrian Airlines flight from Vienna after a delay of three hours. He was enthusiastically received by hundreds of people, who had gathered at the new terminal 3 of the airport since the early hours of the day.
They included activists from across Egypt's political spectrum including the protest groups Kefaya (Enough) and April 6, two vociferous critics of President Hosni Mubarak. Members of a third group supporting Al Baradei's bid for president came from several provinces and converged on Cairo airport holding the national flag and a placard reading "Yes to Al Baradei as Egypt's president".
Al Baradei, 67, did not make statements upon arrival though he had vowed in an interview with the private television Dream broadcast on Thursday to push for democratic changes in Egypt. He was escorted by policemen as he made his way through staunch supporters, who chanted the national anthem and slogans in his support.
His two sisters Mona and Laila accompanied him to his house in the plush Cairo quarter of Dokki, some 30km from the airport.
"Hello Mr Baradei, from Egyptian people," read a placard carried by one supporter, who wore a mask covered with a portrait of Al Baradei.
Security agencies had deployed scores of policemen, mostly in plainclothes, on the roads leading to Cairo airport on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital. They had warned against illegal gatherings, but no incident was reported on Friday.
Late last year, Al Baradei, an ex- diplomat, said he considers running for Egypt's top post, but he made his bid conditional on introducing guarantees to ensure honest and fair elections. His bid stunned politicians in Mubarak's National Democratic Party and the government-owned newspapers that said he is not eligible for the job for being away from Egypt for 27 years.
Al Baradei's announcement has, however, drawn applause from ordinary Egyptians and anti-Mubarak activists. "Dr Al Baradei enjoys credibility on the international scene and among the Egyptians," said celebrated Egyptian novelist Ala'a Al Aswani, while waiting for Al Baradei's arrival at Cairo Airport. "His return will stir up the stagnant water in Egypt's politics," added Al Aswani. "The scene today [the gathering of Baradei's supporters] is an amazing phenomenon."
Under recent amendments to the Egyptian constitution, people who want to run for presidency have to be endorsed by at least 250 members of the parliament and the local councils tightly controlled by the ruling party. Or they should be leading members for at least one year of political parties, which have been in existence for at least five years.
These conditions make it impossible for people like Al Baradei to contend with Mubarak, who has been in power since 1981. Mubarak, 82, has yet to say if he will seek a fresh tenure after his current fifth tenure expires in 2011.
