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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Celebrating solidarity
By Shaden Shehab
In speeches he made during his three-day visit to Lebanon, Prime Minister Atef Ebeid stressed Egypt's strong backing for Lebanon's political ambitions and said Egypt would take the lead in repairing the damage inflicted by Israel. For their part, Lebanese officials, who rolled out the red carpet for Ebeid, warmly praised Egypt's "brotherly stand." In the course of the visit, Ebeid chaired the fourth meeting of the Supreme Joint Committee and inaugurated a renovated power station that had been bombed by Israel. He also made the opening speech at the sixth annual conference for investment and Arab capital market, attended the 40th anniversary of Beirut Arab University and met with businessmen.
The Supreme Joint Committee demanded a full Israeli pullout from southern Lebanon and the resumption of peace negotiations between Syria and Israel on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions. Egypt and Lebanon also said in a joint communiqué, "Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese soil should be total and comprehensive, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 425. The pullout should include the Chebaa Farms [which is Lebanese territory] in accordance with the minutes of the agreement between Syria and Lebanon dating back to 1946."
The communiqué added, "Withdrawal is an important development, a victory for Lebanon, the liberation of its land and a step which serves Arab interests."
In his opening address to the committee, Lebanese Prime Minister Selim Al-Hoss said Israel was expected to withdraw from southern Lebanon ahead of the 7 July deadline set by the Israeli government. If Israel did not withdraw from Chebaa, the action would be considered redeployment, not withdrawal, Al-Hoss said.
Statements by Egyptian Information Minister Safwat El-Sherif at a press conference earlier were termed ambiguous by Lebanese. But the committee later clarified them. El-Sherif said, "We are aware that there are some problems concerning the Chebaa Farms. We tell the Lebanese people to take Taba as an example. Egypt regained Taba through negotiations and international arbitration."
El-Sherif later told reporters he did not mean that Taba and Chebaa were similar cases. He said what he meant was that achieving peace demands great efforts. What is important is perseverance and a strong will to reach the desired goal, he said.
In the communiqué, Egypt and Lebanon urged the two sponsors of the Middle East peace process, the United States and Russia, as well as the European Union, "to intensify their efforts to put the peace process back on track."
"We call for the restart of negotiations along the Syrian track on the basis of the principles of the [1991] Madrid conference, the exchange of land for peace and UN Security Council resolutions [242 and 338]. This historic opportunity for realising the hopes of the peoples of the region for peace and stability should not be lost," the communiqué said.
Al-Hoss told a news conference that other Arabs are required to throw their weight behind the Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian negotiators. But he said that "there is no specific need for an Arab summit."
As for the Syrian position on the Chebaa Farms, Al-Hoss said, "Syria has continuously affirmed that the Farms are Lebanese soil. But if the United Nations wants a written document in this connection, Syria will not hesitate to provide it," he added.
Answering a question posed by Al-Ahram Weekly on the future role of Hizbullah after the Israeli withdrawal, Al-Hoss said "Hizbullah is a prominent Lebanese party that has the right to remain active as a party. It is not us who will determine their future activities, it is they."
On bilateral questions, Lebanon and Egypt stressed their desire to strengthen relations in all areas to serve the interests of the two peoples. In this context, the two countries signed five memoranda for cooperation in industry, housing, commerce and information, and two executive programmes for economic cooperation, particularly in tourism and education.
According to Ahmed Magdi, trade attaché at the Egyptian embassy in Beirut, Egyptian exports to Lebanon average $51 million annually, while Lebanese exports to Egypt amount to $16 million. There are also 139 Lebanese-related investment projects in Egypt with a Lebanese capital of LE3.8 billion, Magdi said.
Ebeid inaugurated the Deir Nbouh power station that had been hit by Israeli raids and rebuilt with Egyptian assistance. Forty per cent of the power station, which feeds Zgherta in the north, had been destroyed.
After Ebeid's helicopter landed at the site, he was showered with flowers and words of praise for the Egyptian people. Banners which read "Thank you, Egypt", "Lebanon will never forget Egyptian assistance" and "Long live Egyptian-Lebanese cooperation" bedecked the ceremonial site. The 26 Egyptian technicians and engineers who rebuilt the station were hailed heroes.
The technicians told the Weekly that the Lebanese treated them "with great affection." One, Mustafa Masoud, said "they refuse to take the house rent and they provide us with food. We are very happy here."
Abdel-Meguid Radwan, deputy chairman of the Egyptian Electricity Company, said the station was reconstructed in just two months although it was supposed to take at least eight months.
"It was done in two phases. The first was to repair the station and the second was to upgrade it to make it better than before," Amin Shaker, head of the transformers sector of the Eleject Company, which was in charge of the project, told the Weekly.
Work is continuing on two other damaged power stations. Work at Al-Jomhour, the largest plant that feeds Beirut, will be completed next month while work at Baalbek, that feeds the Bekaa Valley, will end in June 2001.
The reconstruction effort required the 26 technicians and engineers to work 14 hours daily, using advanced equipment shipped from Egypt by air and sea. The cost amounted to LE87 million, paid for by Egypt.
