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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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Partnership settled
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Supplement Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters NEGOTIATIONS on a partnership between Egypt and the European Union (EU) took a significant step forward this week. Agreement was reached on almost all of the points that had previously proved hard to settle, including those related to agricultural trade, terms of human rights and conceptions of democracy.
German Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hans Fredrich Von Plotez, whose country currently chairs the EU, had arrived in Cairo late last week for a wrap-up session on the partnership with Foreign Minister Amr Moussa.
At the end of the session, Gamal Bayoumi, assistant to the foreign minister, reported that "it is all settled and ready to be sealed".
The agreement was sent to the EU headquarters to be translated from Arabic and English into other European languages. It was also sent to the office of Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri for a final review.
The foreign ministers of the EU are expected to review the deal later this month. "This is an important stage, because the Foreign Ministry acted in these negotiations on behalf of other ministries, including the ministries of trade, agriculture, industry and interior; it is very important that all the concerned bodies look at the parts of the language that concern them," Foreign Minister Moussa said.
This process is expected to last until the end of this year, or early next year.
Moussa said, "Germany, as the current chair of the EU, was keen to have the deal pretty much finalised before its term of presidency expires at the end of next month."
THE FOREIGN minister of the Comoros, Mohamed Al-Amin, was in Cairo this week for talks with the secretary-general of the Arab League, Esmat Abdel-Meguid, and officials of the Foreign Ministry. Al-Amin met with Ibrahim Ali, assistant to the foreign minister for African affairs.
Following his meetings in Cairo, Al-Amin told reporters that he conveyed a message of friendship from the new leadership in his country. He said he hopes to see close relations between his country and all the Arab countries, particularly Egypt.
EGYPT is acting to forge closer relations with the countries of Eastern Europe, particularly in the fields of bilateral trade and investment.
Fathi El-Shazli, assistant to the foreign minister for European affairs, started a week-long trip on Sunday to the Czech Republic, Croatia and Slovenia.
"We hope that these talks will pave the way for greater cooperation between Egyptian businessmen and their counterparts in these countries," El-Shazli said.
Also on the agenda of talks with officials of the three countries is potential political cooperation in view of the developments taking place in Europe.
A DELEGATION of Indian businessmen and industrialists arrived in Cairo this week to explore potential areas of investment and other forms of economic cooperation. The delegation was received by the ministers of foreign affairs, trade, and industry.
The delegation also met with a large number of Egyptian businessmen to learn about the numerous prospects of trade and economy cooperation. Trade agreements were also discussed, including the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), which Egypt recently joined, the free-trade agreements that Egypt has with the Arab countries and the nearly wrapped-up Egypt-EU partnership.
According to Vincut Srinivasan, chairman of the delegation which represents hundreds of Indian companies, "We think of Egypt as the gate not only to the African and Arab markets but also the European markets."
An Egyptian delegation of businessmen is expected to arrive in New Delhi in November, to further discuss ways of improving bilateral cooperation, especially in the field of technology transfer.
The current trade volume between Egypt and India stands at about $435 million, and is slightly tipped in India's favour.
EGYPT'S joint committees with both Bahrain and Pakistan are scheduled to convene in less than three weeks. Foreign Minister Amr Moussa will arrive in Bahrain on 8 June for a two-day visit. From Bahrain, Moussa will fly to Pakistan, also for a two-day visit.
In Bahrain, the agenda of the joint committee will focus on finalising the remaining details to initiate the implementation of a bilateral free-trade agreement. Lists of goods that are not subject to custom exemption are the main outstanding issue. Also on the agenda is close political consultation on the recent thawing of relations between Iran and some Gulf states, and the future of the Arab contact group on Iraq, of which Bahrain is a member.
In Pakistan, the joint Egyptian-Pakistani committee will discuss economic and security cooperation. Recent political developments in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, particularly the Indian-Pakistani tensions, will be reviewed.
PRESIDENT Hosni Mubarak met the President of Namibia Sam Nujoma who was in Cairo this week for a three day visit. The talks focused on improving inter-African relations, the Middle East and bilateral relations.
Namibia will take over the chairmanship of the United Nations General Assembly next September.
PRESIDENT Hosni Mubarak inaugurated last Thursday the largest project for the collection and transportation of natural gases across the Suez Canal at Ras Bakr.
The construction cost of the first phase of the Trans Gulf Gas project, south of Suez, amounted to $100 million. The second phase cost $125 million. The petroleum gases emitted at Sinai oil fields, such as Balaeem and October offshore oil fields, are collected and processed at the plant and distributed to factories in Suez and Qattamiya. In later phases, the project will also make use of available gases from nine oil fields surrounding the Gulf of Suez.
The Ras Bakr plant employs 210 workers. Mubarak lauded their efforts and welcomed greater foreign investment in the oil sector.
During a brief presentation on site, Minister of Oil Hamdi El-Banbi said that 41 oil and gas fields with a daily capacity of 31,000 tonnes of crude oil and natural gas were discovered in Egypt this year. "These discoveries were made in previously untapped regions, such as Beni Suef, which is a window of opportunity for oil production in the southern valley," the minister said. Also in 1999, El-Banbi said, seven new oil agreements were signed, despite the drop in world oil prices. The agreements allow for a number of foreign companies to dig some 40 oil wells at a cost of $1.9 billion.
