Mubarak's Madrid visit to focus on Euro-Mediterranean cooperation
Egypt-Spain, Politics, 5/22/2000

"President Hosni Mubarak's projected visit to Spain will inject fresh blood into the Egyptian-Spanish relationship," Egypt's Ambassador to Spain Hussein Haridi said yesterday.

"President Hosni Mubarak's itinerary of the visit to begin on May 29 includes three separate meetings with King Juan Carlos, in addition to expanded session of talks with Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and the speakers of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate," he said.

Mubarak will address the Cortes (Parliament) on Egypt's democratic and parliamentary experience, he added.

"The issue of Euro-Mediterranean partnership is expected to top the agenda of talks with Spanish officials, specifically on the activation of the Barcelona process, and the Middle East peace process started in Madrid and bilateral relations," he said.

Ambassador Haridi stressed the importance of activating the Barcelona process during President Mubarak's visit to Spain.

"President Mubarak is the one who launched this important process when he spoke at the European parliament in November 1991," he said.

"Then he delivered his famous speech and called for activating Euro-Mediterranean cooperation," he said.

"The EU will expand in the near future and European states will be busy trying to acclimatize themselves with this expansion," he said.

"It is this pre-occupation with how to correspond to and face these new changes that raise fears among south-of-the Mediterranean states," he added.

Will Europe's interest in Euro-Mediterranean partnership and the Barcelona process subside?, he questioned.

"Spain is the European country to activate the Barcelona process and to set aside fears arising in this respect, given its geographic proximity to the Arab world and its exceptional relationship with Egypt in particular and Arab countries in general," Ambassador Haridi told MENA.

"Spain presented the Mediterranean initiative to the European union to unite all European policies in one that all states must follow," he said.

"It is natural for President Mubarak, who all attest was the one to spark the process of this cooperation, to be so interested in the activation of the Barcelona process, "he added.

Egyptian Ambassador to Spain Haridi told MENA one of the top priorities in bilateral cooperation between Spain and Egypt is the implementation of a $ 310 million protocol signed by both sides more than two years ago.

"Some $ 10 million of the total sum of the protocol had been earmarked by Spain as a grant to finance feasibility studies for a number of projects in Egypt," said Haridi.

He voiced hope the Egyptian parliament would soon ratify and endorse the protocol which will give the Egyptian-Spanish relations a further boost.

"As an ambassador of Egypt, I can sense the benefits such protocol would yield especially that its terms are luring with the interest rate set at 1.5 per cent only and the installment period extending over 40 years, "added Haridi.

"The protocol has to be implemented prior to expiry of its grace period due by the end of the year," said the Diplomat.

"The Egyptian and Spanish governments are studying the construction of a super speed railway line between Alexandria and Aswan over three stages," said the Ambassador.

"The Spanish government showed interest in funding the feasibility studies of the project which will mark a wide technological leap in transportation in Egypt," added Haridi.

He said furthering bilateral economic relations and narrowing the wide gap in the trade balance which weighs in favor of Spain is essentially depending on the Egyptian side. The Egyptians are almost absent in the Spanish market whose penetration needs studies and field tours by investors to know what the Spanish market needs, added Haridi.

Previous Stories:
  Mubarak in Madrid on May 29   (5/20/2000)
  Alexandria hosts the Euro - Mediterranean parliament conference   (5/20/2000)
  On Mubarak's visit to Spain   (5/18/2000)

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