A bounty of common good
The inauguration of a German university offered opportunity for Egypt and Germany to share visions and positions, writes Nevine Khalil
Arriving on a two-day visit to Egypt, his first leg of a regional tour, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder focussed on promoting bilateral ties and a shared regional vision with Egyptian officials. Schroeder joined President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday in the ceremony inaugurating the German University in Cairo (GUC), after which the leaders held extensive talks pertaining to peace in the Middle East, the Palestinian issue, Iraq and world terrorism. From Cairo, the German leader travelled to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Both Cairo and Berlin condemned the Israeli strike in Syria a few hours before the GUC ceremony, as well as the civilian victims of the ongoing violence in the Palestinian territories. "We denounce violence and the killing of civilians on both sides, and also condemn the attack on a brotherly country under the pretext of the presence of [terrorist] organisations there," Mubarak told a joint news conference with Schroeder. He added that "immediate steps must be taken" to halt the violence.
Israel claimed that its first raid into the heart of Syria in two decades targeted a Palestinian militant training camp, but Damascus denied the allegation. Schroeder was among the first European leaders to react to the aerial bombardment, and also condemned the Palestinian suicide attack in Haifa which prompted Israel to launch the raid. The German chancellor noted that "the situation becomes more complicated when the sovereignty of a third country is violated and therefore we cannot accept what happened in Syria."
The two sides share the same position with regards the need to combat terrorism and object to, in Schroeder's words, "resorting to terrorist means as a political tool". Both Mubarak and Schroeder want to see immediate steps taken to impose a ceasefire and relaunch negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis to implement the roadmap. According to Mubarak, the US plan to create a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel as its neighbour "could have led to peace and stability, but this requires simultaneous and equal pressure on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides in order to reach a solution". Schroeder stressed that the peace process be "based on the terms of reference drawn up by the Quartet and the roadmap." Schroeder was promoting the European role in the Middle East through its membership in the diplomatic Quartet which also includes the US, Russia and the UN.
On the issue of Iraq, Egypt and Germany see eye-to-eye on several points, including the need to end the US-led occupation as soon as possible, and that the UN be given the largest hand in administering and reconstructing the country until an Iraqi government is elected by the people. Both Egypt and Germany had opposed the US's unilateral decision to go to war without a UN resolution. "The violence will never end as long as the occupying forces are ruling the country," Mubarak said. Schroeder asserted that Germany and Europe are keenly interested in bringing stability and democracy to Iraq "through an activated UN role," noting that "there is a dire need to transfer authority to the Iraqi people".
Moving onto economic issues, Schroeder expressed a great interest in promoting bilateral ties with Egypt, but suggested that several reforms still need to be made. He said these include "the removal of obstacles caused by bureaucracy; promoting education and investment in the fields of scientific research, development and education; and opening more markets in the future."
Schroeder elaborated on this last point, saying it "primarily means the opening of European markets for Egyptian products, especially agriculture".
In meetings with Prime Minister Atef Ebeid after the news conference, Schroeder agreed to increase German investments in Egypt, which stand at LE3.6 billion distributed in 63 projects. Joint projects would focus on production and services in the fields of renewable energy, water resources, information technology, land and sea transport, telecommunications and sewage treatment. Schroeder was accompanied by a business delegation which included the head of the German engineering giant Siemens Heinrich Von Pierer. Several business leaders travelling with Schroeder met with cabinet ministers such as Oil and Mineral Resources Minister Sameh Fahmi.
Cairo and Berlin also want to raise the volume of trade between the two countries. At a breakfast meeting earlier that day, Schroeder urged German investors to increase their capital in Egypt, expand their projects and allocate a quota of production for export to European markets.
In general, relations between Egypt and Germany "are free from any problems", Schroeder told the joint news conference, "and we are interested in developing relations in the realms of economics, science and education." He noted that the inauguration of the GUC is an event of "as much import for Germany as it is for Egypt." Mubarak viewed the GUC as a way to "promote the friendly relations and cooperation between our two countries". Schroeder agreed that the project would "deepen the cultural connection between the people of both countries".
The GUC is the first privately-funded German university abroad, and follows in the footsteps of the French University (opened last year) and the American University in Cairo (founded in 1919), while a Canadian technological institute is scheduled to open next year. In his inaugural speech on Sunday morning, Schroeder said it was important that "a maximum number of people receive a high level of education because this is the essence of democracy and development". Mubarak reciprocated that the university would allow "young Egyptians to diversify their sources of knowledge, strengthen the dialogue between civilisations, and responded to Egypt's aspirations for modernisation and development". The GUC, which focusses on science and technology, has so far accepted 700 students from a pool of almost 4,000. The main language of instruction at the university will be English, but students are also expected to learn German.
