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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 Feb. - 1 March 2000 Issue No. 470 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 Feb. - 1 March 2000 Issue No. 470
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Heritage Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Rau visit
GERMAN President Johannes Rau arrived in Cairo on Monday for a five-day visit to Egypt. President Hosni Mubarak held talks with Rau on the stalled peace process and briefed him on his visit to Lebanon. Rau came after touring the Palestinian territories and Israel. The Mubarak-Rau talks also covered bilateral relations and the upcoming European-African summit to be held in Egypt in April.Rau is accompanied by a business delegation representing some of Germany's most prominent economic organisations.
During the visit, the Egyptian-German Business Council was launched, and both presidents called on the private sector in their countries to strengthen cooperation and boost bilateral ties through joint projects.
Rau has a packed programme during his stay, meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Esmat Abdel-Meguid, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sayed Tantawi, and Pope Shenouda III. The visit also includes a tour of the Egyptian museum, Islamic Cairo, the German School in Dokki, St Catherine's Monastery, Aswan and Luxor.
Towards a turning-point
PRESIDENT Hosni Mubarak attended the first meeting of the newly established National Women's Council last week. During the meeting at the presidential palace in Heliopolis, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak was named council head and Mervat El-Tallawi, former insurance and social affairs minister, its secretary-general. A committee was also formed to draw up the council's executive regulations.In a short speech, President Mubarak asked the 30-member council to work towards the nation's revival through activating the role of women, who represent half the people. He said that women's participation in the development process is essential.
Addressing the council members, Mrs Mubarak said that the choice of members carries with it a message of appreciation to each of them for the extraordinary efforts they have made in the field of social work pertaining to women. "There is no doubt that the variety of the members' experiences and their numerous specialisations are indicative of the integrative and comprehensive qualities of the council's mission," Mrs Mubarak said.
Conceding that the responsibility she shares with the other council members is enormous, she expressed confidence that everyone will rise up to the challenge and that the council will become "a true turning-point in the history of Egyptian women and society's development".
Mrs Mubarak stressed that the council's work is a new link in a series of efforts carried out by its predecessor, the Women's National Commission, in a very satisfactory manner. "Our council is being launched from an advanced point, with an extensive record of experiences and achievements behind it," she said. "Ahead of us, we have a long road fraught with new conditions brought about by the developmental stage our nation is going through, as well as the new world situation facing all nations and peoples."
After the meeting, El-Tallawi told reporters that through the empowerment of women, society will be able to overcome the many obstacles it faces in striving for social development.
She said that means of promoting women's capabilities and raising the council's effectiveness will be studied. She added that the council should be considered a planning and follow-up body, not an executive one. "The council will have the right of suggestion, but implementation is the responsibility of other authorities," she said.
Turnaround for tourism
PRESIDENT Hosni Mubarak this week issued a presidential decree to reorganise the Supreme Council of Tourism (SCT). The decree came a month after a meeting between Mubarak and Minister of Tourism Mamdouh El-Beltagui in which they discussed the status of the tourism industry, its future plans and development policies.The job of the newly organised council is to suggest the necessary legislation to upgrade tourist activities as well as the policies needed to promote tourist movement to Egypt. The council is charged with finding ways to remove obstacles hindering tourism, coordinating between different ministries to implement development plans and specifying the role of each ministry in tourist promotion. The SCT also aims to encourage both the production and services sectors to implement tourism development plans.
The new Supreme Council of Tourism will be headed by El-Beltagui. Members will include the ministers of irrigation, environment, local government, transportation and planning, as well as the heads of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, EgyptAir, Cairo Airport, the Egyptian Authority for Civil Aviation, the Egyptian Tourist Authority, the Immigration Authority, the Customs Authority, the Egyptian Federation of Tourist Chambers, the Hotels Chamber and the Travel Agencies Chamber. A further five members are to be selected by El-Beltagui.
"The decree to reorganise the Supreme Council of Tourism has one main aim; to bring about coordination between ministries and the bodies concerned with tourist activity in Egypt," declared El-Beltagui.
In line with the decree, the council will meet once every three months, though for any meeting to be valid, the majority of members must be present.
