1 - 7 February 2001
Issue No.519
|
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 1 - 7 February 2001 Issue No.519 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Links in the void
In Davos Foreign Minister Amr Moussa spoke to Gamil Ibrahim about the future of Middle East economic cooperation
It was in one of the World Economic Forum meetings a few years back that a call was sent out for regional economic measures that would include Israel and its Arab neighbours to integrate Middle Eastern countries. Given the current state of the peace process, where does this issue stand today?
This proposal for regional economic integration is simply no longer on the table. What we are talking about now is inter-Arab economic cooperation. This is the focus of our efforts now. Soon enough, we will be seeing Arab-Arab economic conventions taking place.
But in Davos this year Arab businessmen, Egyptians included, have been meeting with their Israeli counterparts. What is the policy on this kind of cooperation?
If businessmen want to meet, that is for them to decide. But if you want to talk about a regional economic forum that brings Arabs and Israelis together, then let me tell you that this initiative is not operative any more. You cannot build inter-regional economic cooperation away from building peace -- as many would have wanted. You simply cannot form economic ties in a void. This is why we no longer speak of a regional economy integrating the Middle East.
How optimistic are you about inter-Arab economic cooperation?
I think that inter-Arab cooperation has been given a big boost with the establishment of an electricity network linking Arab countries. This network is already operative between Egypt and Jordan and within a few weeks, Syria will join in. Then Lebanon will, too. The network will also expand to the western end of the Arab world to include Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, in that order.
There is also the new network of natural gas pipelines that will run from Egypt to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It is these types of projects, in which Arab countries work together for their common interests, that the future of inter-Arab economic cooperation lies. Common economic interests are the catch words at every Arab meeting these days. It will certainly be a key issue at the next Arab summit, scheduled to take place in Amman in March.
I think Arab countries are becoming increasingly aware that they need to talk about their economic interests and problems as much as they talk about political problems and concerns.
What are the recent developments in the peace process?
Well, as you might have heard, there has not been news of any [substantial] progress coming out of the Taba talks. Anyway, both Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli former Prime Minister Shimon Peres will be taking part in this year's convention of the World Economic Forum. I am planning to meet with both of them [separately].
Who else are you planning to meet with in Davos this year?
I have just met with the prime minister of Jordan, the crown prince of Bahrain, the prime minister of Norway, and the foreign minister of Germany, and I still have a long list ahead of me. I have meetings scheduled with several African, Asian and Latin American officials. Egypt is very ambitious in the scope of its economic cooperation.
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page