 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 27 April - 3 May 2000 Issue No. 479 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 27 April - 3 May 2000 Issue No. 479
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters A policy of engagement
By Aisha Abdel-Ghaffar
An eminent career diplomat, François Dopffer, France's new ambassador to Egypt, exudes confidence, in himself and in the future of strategic relations between Egypt and France. Dopffer, who holds a law degree, graduated from France's prestigious Institut d'Etudes Politiques, and also studied at the Ecole Nationale d'Administration.
Dopffer sees relations between France and Egypt as "excellent, fed as they are by both historical tradition and many new elements." Intensive bilateral consultations are reinforced by the strong ties of friendship that bind both the presidents and the foreign ministers of the two nations. Because of these factors, a dialogue is constantly underway on the pressing issues of the day: "Problems involving the Arab world, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and to a certain extent Africa."
Economic relations are stable and healthy, Ambassador Dopffer believes, and this is no coincidence: "Egypt's economy is important in the region, while the French economy is dynamic in the European Union." This holds true for commercial ties, but also for investments. "I would even say that, at the moment, it is the investment sector that is more dynamic; most of the main French firms have plans to invest in Egypt. Investments, of course, imply capital transfer as well as technology transfer to Egypt. This will allow Egypt access to European and even world markets."
On the cultural front, relations are equally intense. Dopffer feels there is also a real social rapprochement taking place. "Political relations are my priority, however, since they are excellent and it is my responsibility to maintain them," he noted. His pet project, however, is the French university to be established in Cairo, as well as the development of economic ties based on investments.
Unfortunately, Ambassador Dopffer conceded, the balance of trade is tilted to Egypt's disadvantage for the time being. "We must work to correct this. Naturally, this implies the development of Egyptian exports, and we are prepared to encourage access of Egyptian products to the European market. Of course, we are not speaking here of bilateral relations, but of relations between Egypt, on one hand, and the European Union as a community on the other."
Referring to the recent Africa-Europe conference held in Cairo, Ambassador Dopffer noted that this was the first time representatives from 52 African nations met their counterparts from the 15 members of the European Union. Europe, he estimated, is now fully aware that "Africa is at the doors of the EU, the largest market in the world."
The Cairo encounter, he remarked, allowed participants to concentrate on a number of topics that are important for Africa: for instance, the question of debt cancellation. In this respect, France emphasised the need to reduce the debt burden for the poorest countries and, along with Germany and the UK, it announced that it was prepared to cancel this debt. Dopffer hopes such an initiative will have a domino effect, encouraging the other members of the EU to do the same. He was quick to note, however, that such treatment must not apply across the board. "It would not be fair for middle-income countries to be treated in the same way as the very poorest African nations."
On the question of development and democracy, Ambassador Dopffer does not subscribe to the idea that poverty precludes the transition to democracy. "Senegal has just demonstrated that a developing country can behave in a perfectly democratic fashion. The same may be said of other African nations. A country like France, whose political evolution has taken several centuries, knows that it is not easy to achieve democracy."
Certainly, there are links with the level of economic development, Dopffer agreed; "but," he cautioned, "you cannot ask Europe to renounce its political principles. We must admit to the complexity of individual situations, but also agree on the goal -- which is, in the long term, more freedom for the people."
On a related point, France is especially attentive to the problems of development and security in Africa. "We want Africa to learn to solve its problems by itself," Dopffer said. "The era of policemen is over. We must give the African nations the habit of solving their problems with their own resources. Economically, we must help them. On the level of security, Africa must acquire peace-keeping capabilities. This is occurring, especially in west Africa, where multilateral cooperation projects are allowing nations to establish peace-keeping operations with French, American and British assistance."
Also on the subject of peace, Ambassador Dopffer spoke at some length of the Middle East. "There is a dynamic at work in the region, and considerable progress has been made. Of course, in such complex conflicts, there are moments of tension and difficulty. Experience shows, however, that, since the process began, we have always been able to overcome adversity. Today, after the Geneva meeting, the situation between Israel and Syria is complex, but I do not think the dialogue has been suspended."
The ambassador felt it would not be reasonable to comment on negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, but in terms of the process as a whole, he noted that Israel's decision to withdraw from Lebanon in July is positive. "Of course, we will have to measure all the implications of this announcement in coming weeks," he added.
The main problem, according to Dopffer, will be that of border security. The best solution, in France's view, would be for Israel to withdraw in the context of agreements with all the concerned parties in the region. "If an agreement is reached, and we are asked to contribute to security arrangements, of course we will do so," he noted. "If this does not take place, the question must be put to the Security Council."
As for the problem of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Dopffer conceded its gravity, and noted that President Chirac had referred to it during his conference in Cairo. There seems to be a consensus, however, that no one can solve it alone.
