1 - 7 February 2001
Issue No.519
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 1 - 7 February 2001 Issue No.519 |
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Now or never
By Abdel-Moneim Said *
After hesitating for a year and half, Egypt signed the partnership agreement with the European Union, thus formally concluding negotiations on a new framework for bilateral relations. The Egyptian move was a surprise to many observers, who had thought that the government lacked both the will and the ability to go through with an agreement that was negotiated over four years and ended with a 4,000-page draft agreement in the early summer of 1998.
Although over 260 officials participated in the difficult, wide-ranging negotiations, the Egyptian government was soon divided over the agreement. The business community, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of International Cooperation each had their reservations, while the Ministry of Industry opposed it outright. On the other hand, the rest of the government, including of course the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which negotiated the agreement, supported its conclusion. The division forced President Mubarak to interfere last year with a series of meetings that ended by calling on the government to agree. That step took another six months.
At the root of the disagreement is faith (or lack thereof) in the ability of Egyptian industry to modernise quickly enough to be able to compete with European products. Finally, after much haggling, it would seem that Atef Ebeid's government has decided: it is now or never. Industry will survive or die, but it will do so now. The government also needed to restore trust in the economy, and reverse the downgrading of its reputation on international markets. Hesitation and delays will exact a price in dealings with the EU, of course. Still, it is always better to sign late than not at all.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is director of the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.
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