Lawrence.com

Cairo, Egypt — Camp David is out, for sure. Oslo, Norway, and Madrid, Spain? Unlikely. But mediated peace talks somewhere might be the only way to calm the most recent Middle East conflict � one that has heightened anti-Western rhetoric here and embittered thousands of Egyptians.

It all started with a rock concert. Not just any rock concert, mind you, but a performance by one of the world's premier pop stars at the foot of one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Sting, live at the Pyramids.

The story began with two brothers, Helmy and Hani Soufrakess, local businessmen and concert promoters who thought they could tame the notoriously maddening Egyptian bureaucracy to bring a first-rate performer to a Third World location. They figured they could add to the event's aura by wrapping it in a politically resonant theme: bringing the world closer through music. To that end, they invited Hakim, an Egyptian recording star popular among young people, to help open the event.

The red flags were there from the beginning.

Nagwa Hassaan, 27, like thousands of other concertgoers, trekked six miles through the desert to the concert site after waiting for a bus for hours. Many people never made it at all � because there was no bus pickup as originally planned.

The ticket-holders who forged ahead found a location that was suitable for, at most, 10,000 revelers but was filled with nearly twice as many. It seems that despite security, thousands of people without tickets just walked in. And hundreds who had paid to be admitted were turned away because there was no room.

Although the cause is a matter of dispute, Hakim, the Egyptian singer, arrived late. So the promoters canceled his appearance. Instead of heading quietly home, the singer grabbed a microphone, bolted onto the stage and hollered: "I was supposed to perform, but I can't because of Sting." The rant that followed concluded: "Whoever is willing to accept the insult of an Egyptian in Egypt can stay. Good night!"

Hakim was so angry, in fact, that he held a news conference four days later and once again raised the issue of Western arrogance.

Ten days later, the brouhaha isn't over. Many concertgoers have filed complaints with the police. Hakim has continued to stoke nationalist sentiments, insisting that he is an Egyptian artist who was spurned by Westerners. And antiquities officials are calling for a ban on all such events at the Pyramids.

Ever the businessman, Helmy Soufrakess is struggling to put the best face on the fiasco. "It was a very successful event," he said.