Page 7 - Issue 72

V O L .1 E L I T E ISSUE 72

I must emphasize that genuine environmental there had been consultations with Foreign
work requires sustained effort, most Minister Amr Moussa at the time to make a
importantly through engaging the private sector political decision on how to approach the
and incentivizing it to invest in environmental process without being criticized for cooperating
projects, while also raising societal awareness of with Israel. I proposed that Egypt’s presence in
the gravity and scope of climate and the group should not be interpreted as a desire
environmental issues. Equally crucial is the for cooperation with Israel, but rather as a
launch of fair international cooperation if we necessity to ensure that no decisions or
are to secure a sustainable future for agreements would be made in Egypt’s absence
generations to come and for the world at large. that could harm national interests. In this sense,
After three years of working as an advisor to Egypt’s participation was both necessary and
Dr. Yasmine Fouad, I was asked to continue obligatory.
working with Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of It is worth noting that each of these working
Local Development and Acting Minister of groups was assigned a specific sponsor. The
Environment, in support of her efforts in this European Union took on the sponsorship of
delicate transitional phase and under ongoing the Regional Economic Cooperation group,
national and regional efforts to address which marked the beginning of my direct
environmental degradation and the engagement with the EU.
repercussions of climate change. One of the notable developments during that
period was the EU’s proposal to establish a
Q4: In your previous position as Head of the
Regional Hub in the Suez Canal area,
National Office for the Implementation of the
specifically in Suez.
Partnership Agreement with the European
Union, how do you assess the development of this
relationship since the signing of the agreement?
My relationship with the European Union dates
back to the Madrid Peace Conference, which
was held in November 1991, following Egypt’s
signing of the peace treaty with Israel in 1979,
which aimed to pave the way for achieving a
comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle
I presented the matter to Minister Amr
East.
Moussa, explaining that I could not
It became evident, during the conference, that
meaningfully discuss the project without first
peace agreements alone were insufficient to
seeing a real model of such a hub. I
ensure regional stability, and thus it was
subsequently visited the Rotterdam Center in
necessary to redesign the region’s structure for
the Netherlands and arranged for their experts
the post-peace phase. This led to the convening
to visit Egypt and assess the feasibility of
of the Multilateral Cooperation Conference in
establishing a regional hub in the Suez Canal
Moscow in February 1992, during which five
zone.
working groups were established: regional
Upon my return, I contacted the Governor of
economic cooperation, disarmament, water,
Port Said and requested a helicopter for the
energy, and migration.
Dutch experts to survey the area firsthand.
I had the honor of leading Egypt’s delegation to
After the aerial tour, they told me something I
the Regional Economic Cooperation group,
will never forget: “There has never been, and
which sought to restructure economic and trade
there will never be, an area like this on the
relations in the Middle East—including Israel—
world map. It connects the Mediterranean Sea
within the framework of a just and lasting
with the Red Sea, links to the Indian Ocean, 7
peace.
and bridges Africa with Asia.
Before Egypt’s participation in this group,