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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 May 1999 Issue No. 430 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 May 1999 Issue No. 430
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Supplement Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Southern Agenda
President Hosni Mubarak said this week that Egypt welcomed any progress in Arab-Iranian relations, adding that Cairo is "in direct contact with Iran without the need for mediators." Mubarak was speaking at a public rally in the southern city of Assiut on Sunday after opening a number of development projects there.
During a four-hour tour of Assiut, Mubarak inaugurated a new bridge across the Nile
The president told his audience that one issue "which Egyptians find offensive" concerned one of the main streets in Tehran being named after Khaled El-Islambouli, leader of the assassination squad that killed President Anwar El-Sadat in October 1981. "This is a real obstacle in the way of normalising relations between the two countries," Mubarak added.
During a four-hour tour of Assiut, Mubarak inaugurated a new bridge across the Nile, an electricity plant and an indoors sports complex.
Transport Minister Suleiman Metwalli said that the new Assiut bridge was one of the main infrastructure projects considered as the cornerstone of development. "Development cannot succeed without proper roads and transport," Metwalli said.
The Assiut bridge is 1.7 kilometres long and, if its extensions are added, has an overall length of 5.7 kilometres, making it the longest bridge across the Nile. The 42 arches supporting the bridge allow for Nile cruisers and vessels to pass safely under it.
Metwalli said that over the past few years, paved roads had increased from 16,000 kilometres to 42,000 kilometres nationwide, while in Upper Egypt alone, paved roads increased nearly four-fold, from 3,000 kilometres to 11,000 kilometres.
Mubarak later visited Assiut's new power plant which has an output capacity of 650 megawatts. The plant, built with the help of Japanese and Italian know-how, cost LE1.2 billion. Electricity Minister Maher Abaza told the president the plant will feed into the national power grid "which will put an end to power failures across the country." The station can be fuelled by natural gas.
The president then visited the headquarters of the Southern Military Zone, where he inaugurated the indoors Mubarak Sports City. The complex, which is designed to withstand earthquakes, has a seating capacity of 2,800 spectators. It has courts for several sports, including basketball, handball, volleyball and pentaball, as well as a bowling alley. During the ceremony, Mubarak and his entourage watched a basketball game between Assiut University and the Southern Zone team. The president also tried his hand at bowling.
During the hour-long rally that followed the tour, Mubarak was presented with a document from the people of Assiut supporting his nomination for a fourth presidential term. Mubarak told the gathering that his top priority was to develop the southern regions of Egypt after long years of neglect. "We have to compensate the people here for their sufferings," the president said.
Mubarak added that the government is responsible for building the necessary infrastructure and provides support to businessmen who are in charge of executing industrial and agricultural projects. "We encourage the private sector to play a major role in developing the country," he said.
