Network on track
THE ESTABLISHMENT of Egypt's third mobile phone operator by Telecom Egypt (TE) is "on track" according to Akil Beshir, chairman of TE. Speaking to the press recently, Beshir said that TE is currently in negotiation with a prospective strategic partner for its mobile company.
The company is scheduled to begin operating in the second half of 2003. Earlier this year, it invited international companies to bid for the supply and installation for a planned 1,800-Hz GSM system.
However, according to Beshir, there will be no final word on which company will be chosen to set up the network until negotiations with the strategic partner are completed. In the meantime Beshir stated that the prospective partner has reviewed the design, conditions and specifications of the network prepared by TE, and is satisfied.
Partnership pending
THREE European Union (EU) member states, Finland, Germany and Sweden, have ratified the Egypt-EU Association Agreement so far. The agreement, which was signed in June 2001, will only go into force once it has been ratified by the remaining 12 EU member states, as well as the Egyptian parliament. Expectations are high that it will be presented to the People's Assembly for ratification during its current session.
"A signature from the Egyptian parliament would be a positive signal to the remaining EU parliaments," said Michele Villani, first secretary for trade issues at the EU Commission in Cairo. The agreement is part of the Barcelona Process, which aims to create a comprehensive area of cooperation on economic, political, social and cultural issues between the 15 EU member states and their 12 Mediterranean partners. The Egypt-EU Association Agreement, once operative, would replace the current cooperation agreement which has existed since 1978.
Similar Association agreements with the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Israel have already been ratified and are in force. Agreements with Egypt, Lebanon and Algeria have been signed but are pending ratification, and an agreement with Syria remains under negotiation.
Resounding success
KAMIL Idris, the Sudanese director general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), appears set to earn a second six-year mandate to head the organisation. The deadline for submission of candidates closed on 9 December with his name standing alone on the list. A spokesperson for WIPO confirmed that no other names were submitted by member states.
WIPO's steering committee, the Coordination Committee, will meet in March 2003 to formally elect him to a second mandate and will submit this recommendation to a special meeting of the General Assembly shortly after that, to endorse the decision. Idris' current mandate expires in November 2003.
Member states decided at their last annual meetings in September 2002 to advance the date of elections in light of the overwhelming consensus for the re-election of Idris. Some 120 delegations took the floor to express support for Idris and congratulate him for his solid leadership.
The WIPO is the United Nations' agency that specialises in promoting respect for intellectual property.
Since Idris took over in November 1997, the organisation began exploring new areas of relevance for intellectual property such as traditional knowledge, folklore and the Internet. Idris launched the WIPO Digital Agenda, a primary concern of which is to increase the participation of developing countries and reduce the knowledge divide between developed and developing nations. Idris also launched the WIPO Patent Agenda, which aims to develop an international patent system that is more user- friendly and accessible, and provides an appropriate balance between the rights of inventors and the general public, while at the same time taking into account the implications for the developing world.
Developing aviation
THE EGYPTIAN and French governments have agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in the field of civil aviation with the signing of a new protocol to support Egyptian training programmes.
The French minister for Equipment, Tourism, Transport, Housing and the Sea, Gilles de Robein, signed the protocol when in Cairo recently. Civil Aviation minister, Ahmed Shafiq, signed for Egypt.
Under the protocol, Egypt will receive a 22- million Euro loan to improve and develop Aviation Ministry training centres.
Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly, Shafiq said, "The French loan is an example of the good relationship between the two countries and the strong cooperation we have in civil aviation matters." He added that, although the two sides had been negotiating over the agreement for years, they had faced unfortunate circumstances that were not able to be resolved until now. "We are pleased to finally reach such a positive agreement."
"The protocol will be activated immediately after signing and we will receive the loan in the form of equipment and training programmes supervised by French experts," Shafiq stated. "We are working to reach more such agreements with friendly governments who are ready to help us develop our civil aviation facilities," he added.
The protocol was signed during the visit of a delegation of 25 firms who attended a two-day Franco- Egyptian seminar on public-private partnership.
