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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 June 2000 Issue No. 484 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 June 2000 Issue No. 484
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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 Heritage Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Toward genuine cooperation
By Nevine KhalilPresident Hosni Mubarak departed from Spain yesterday following a three-day visit filled with ceremonies, 21-gun salutes, royal functions, and golden keys to cities. However, there was much more to the trip than pomp and splendour.
Mubarak's rounds included meeting four times with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia and talking politics with Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, Parliament Speaker Fernanda Roudi and Madrid Mayor Jose Maria Alvarez Del Manzano. On his first trip to Spain in 15 years, Mubarak pushed for enhancing bilateral relations alongside conducting discussions on the Middle East peace process and the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.
Much has changed since the Egyptian president's last visit. In 1991 the Madrid peace process was launched, followed by the Barcelona Process a few years later and within the framework of this process Egypt is close to signing a partnership agreement with the European Union.
Following the presidential visit, Egypt now stands a better chance of attracting Spanish investments and redressing an embarrassing trade deficit. By the end of the visit which began on Monday, the two sides agreed to intensify consultation in order to improve trade and economic and cultural cooperation. This week, the Egyptian parliament is scheduled to review for ratification a cooperation protocol between the two countries. In January, the Supreme Joint Egyptian-Spanish Committee will meet in Madrid to hammer out the details for an enhanced bilateral cooperation agreement.
Meanwhile, Cairo and Madrid are scheduled to begin consulting on how to redress the trade deficit which has averaged $300 million in Spain's favour over the past two years a well as the possibility of exporting Egyptian natural gas to Spain. Already, both sides are discussing a financial aid protocol to the tune of $310 million.
Spain is also preparing a technical study for constructing a line for an express train to run between Alexandria on the Mediterranean coastline and Aswan in the south. With a projected maximum speed of 300 kilometres an hour, trains on the line would greatly improve transportation between the north and south of the country.
Summing up the outlook of the entire Egyptian delegation, Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said that both sides "have a strong will for genuine cooperation on all levels." Joining Mubarak in Spain were Minister of Transport Ibrahim El-Demeiri, Minister of Petroleum Sameh Fahmi, Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, Minister of Information Safwat El-Sherif and Minister of International Cooperation Ahmed El-Darsh.
After talks on Tuesday, Spanish Prime Minister Aznar described Mubarak's visit as "a good opportunity to bolster cooperation on the Middle Eastern and Euro-Mediterranean levels." Aznar agreed with Mubarak that Israel should implement signed agreements in order to avoid political frustration in the region.
(L-R) President Mubarak at the joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar; the Mubaraks with King Juan Carlos and Queen
photo: Abdel-Sattar Youssef
"The results of this frustration are unpredictable," Mubarak told a joint news conference, recommending that the concerned parties honour the set deadlines for the conclusion of negotiations. Mubarak also suggested that the establishment of a Palestinian state will benefit Israel and facilitate the process of negotiation between the two sides. Both leaders welcomed Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon.
Mubarak told Spanish officials that he hoped the pullout would be complete and that Israel would end its aggression against Lebanon. As for Syria, Cairo believes that its position has been "clear and logical" because it did not impede the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon.
During talks between Moussa and his Spanish counterpart Josep Pique, Madrid asked for Egyptian support for Spain's bid to obtain a seat on the UN Security Council. During the same meeting, Moussa welcomed Spain's offer to participate in a UN peace-keeping force on the Lebanese-Israeli border. "This [offer] is encouraging because it would be the first time Spain takes part in peace-keeping forces," he said.
According to Mubarak's chief political adviser Osama El-Baz, the importance of Spain's role in the peace process is two-fold. "Firstly, it is an active country within the EU," he said. Madrid was the launching pad for the peace process and the EU special envoy to the peace process, Miguel Moratinos, is Spanish.
Secondly, along with France, Italy and Greece, Spain is a European country that has close contacts with the Middle East. "Independent from the EU, Spain has a special interest in the multilateral track of peace negotiations," El-Baz explained. He added that Spain has played an active role in these since the Madrid conference and that it has endeavoured to keep in close contact with all parties.
As Palestinian President Yasser Arafat had met with Aznar in Madrid last Friday, the Spanish prime minister was well-informed about the current status of negotiations with Israel when he met Mubarak. "Madrid is also well-informed about the Israeli position," El-Baz added. "Hence, Spain can be an active party within the EU, but can also present independent initiatives which do not contradict the overall EU position."
Concerning the Palestinian situation, El-Baz said, "As for the Palestinian track, we explored the possibility of reaching a final agreement by the target date." He added that negotiations "should not be interrupted until they reach a positive conclusion," and expressed hope that such a conclusion "would be achieved close to the date which was set by the interim agreement."
Regarding Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, El-Baz said that both sides agreed on the necessity of activating and promoting the Barcelona Process. However, he added that Egypt will not act hastily in this regard, "We want to make sure that cooperation within [the context of the] process will not infringe upon the independence of each member state."
