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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 23 - 29 November 2000 Issue No.509 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 23 - 29 November 2000 Issue No.509
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters In quest of stronger ties
By Shaden Shehab
Egyptian and Syrian officials, meeting in a Supreme Joint Committee under Prime Minister Atef Ebeid and his Syrian counterpart Mohamed Mustafa Miro, shared the same perception of political and economic ties between the two countries. The two sides saw eye-to-eye on Palestine and clinched 15 agreements, protocols and memoranda of understanding to promote bilateral, particularly economic, relations.
Ebeid was accompanied on his two-day visit to Damascus by Minister of Information Safwat El-Sherif, Minister of Petroleum Sameh Fahmi, Minister of Industry Mustafa El-Rifa'i, Minister of Electricity Ali El-Sa'idi, Minister of Planning Ahmed El-Darsh and Minister of Higher Education Mufid Shehab. Seventeen businessmen were among the entourage.
At a meeting with President Bashar Al-Assad on Sunday, Ebeid conveyed a message from President Hosni Mubarak affirming that "the close relations between Egypt and Syria are to the benefit of the two countries and the entire Arab nation." During his talks with Al-Assad Ebeid said he felt the two nations saw eye-to-eye on the future of their bilateral relations. He said the Syrian president found the volume of trade exchange between the two countries "did not reflect the weight and importance of the brotherly links between them" and demanded a promotion of economic relations.
The volume of trade exchange is modest, amounting to $66.3 million annually, of which $41.7 million are Egyptian exports.
Syrian presidential spokesman Gobran Koreya said "there is a desire to develop bilateral economic relations in tandem with political relations."
Ebeid said his talks with Miro targeted the building of "firm bridges" to link the two sisterly countries in all fields. He said solid ties "will become even stronger under President Bashar Al-Assad."
On the clashes in Palestine, the committee, which was established in May 1990 but had not met since a May 1997 meeting in Cairo, emphasised its commitment to the resolutions of recent Arab and Islamic summits. It stressed "the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and continued support for the peace process on the grounds that peace is a strategic option." The committee condemned the Israeli violations against the Palestinian people and demanded that Israel immediately stop its brutal activities.
Four agreements were signed on oil and natural gas, housing and combating the dodging of customs duties. Six protocols were also signed for cooperation in economic planning, industry, awqaf [religious endowments], science and technology, social insurance and information.
Also signed were two memoranda of understanding covering electricity and the establishment of a businessmen's council. Two executive programmes for cooperation in culture and tourism were also agreed upon.
The signing of an agreement establishing a free trade zone between the two countries was postponed because the final details had not yet been worked out.
El-Darsh told Al-Ahram Weekly that the trade balance between the two countries consistently shows a surplus in Egypt's favour. Egyptian exports to Syria include rice, aluminum, steel, edible oil, sugar, medicine and fertilisers and imports include apples, tobacco, lentil and herbs. Syrian investments in Egypt puts it in 10th place among Arab countries.
During the committee's sessions, Miro said there was a need to overcome obstacles that obstruct the growth of strong economic relations between the two countries at a time when Arab states are in urgent need of greater political and economic cooperation to confront international developments such as globalisation and the emergence of giant economic blocs.
Egyptian-Syrian relations have always been exceptionally close. A few years after Gamal Abdel-Nasser became president, he forged a union with Syria in 1958, turning his call for Arab unity into reality. But the merger, despite the massive support it received, was short-lived, ending in 1961. Yet it proved that strong ties between the two countries were fundamental to protecting Arab regional interests.
High-level coordination between Cairo and Damascus was also vital in realising victory in the 1973 war against Israel.
To be sure, Egyptian-Syrian ties have suffered setbacks. After former President Anwar El-Sadat made his historic visit to Jerusalem in November 1977, and a year later signed the Camp David agreements with Israel, Syria joined the majority of Arab countries in boycotting Egypt and freezing its Arab League membership. The rift continued for nearly 10 years. President Mubarak played a key role in returning Egypt to the Arab fold.
Mubarak and former Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad revived the close cooperation between the two countries. The two leaders were air force colleagues at the time of the Egyptian-Syrian union. Whatever political differences existed did not affect their long-standing personal friendship. Until Al-Assad's death in June, the two leaders exchanged visits regularly.
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