Gov't performance to be activated in all fields

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said the main purpose of Wednesday's cabinet reshuffle is to activate national action and government performance, not just in one sphere, but in all walks of life.

In statements to the chief editors of the Cairo dailies and MENA on his way home Wednesday night from a lightning visit to Riyadh, he said these changes involve a number of issues, the most salient being the responsibilities of the Central Bank of Egypt to enable it perform its full role and tasks independently without any interference.

Cancelling of the Ministry of Economy serves this purpose as well, especially since the main task of the Ministry of Foreign Trade is basically the promotion of exports and thus, the Bank of Export Promotion was affiliated to the ministry.

The President defined a number of specific points from which the next phase - in light of the cabinet reshuffle - will be launched : First : promoting Egyptian exports.

Second : curbing imports, especially consumer and luxury goods.

Third : encouraging national industry by avoiding the purchase of foreign goods as long as their substitutes were available locally.

The President signed a presidential decree Wednesday ratifying a cabinet reshuffle which included four newcomers and scrapped two old portfolios.

He appointed veteran diplomat Fayza Abul Naga as Minister of State- for Foreign Affairs.

Ali al-Said), the Minister of Electricity at the old cabinet, was appointed Minister of Industry.

Hassan Ahmed Younis, a key electricity expert, succeeded Saidi.

Othman Mohamed Othman was given the Ministry of Planning portfolio, replacing Ahmed Al-Darsh.

Agriculture Ministry first Undersecretary Mamdouh Riyadh Tadros became the new Minister of Environment and replaced Nadia Makram Ebeid.

Youssef -Boutros Ghali, former Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, was named Minister of Foreign Trade after the Economy Ministry portfolio was scrapped.

Speaking of the new and limited Cabinet Reshuffle, the President said that affiliating the Ministry of International Cooperation with the Foreign Ministry, means placing similar responsibilities in one place to guarantee better coordination and administration.

International cooperation is based on cooperation and contacts with the outside world, and the Foreign Ministry with its diplomats and bodies is better capable of shouldering these responsibilities.

On his idea of change, he said that it must not be change for the sake of change, but change must have a clear philosophy and clear target, otherwise, it would be futile.

He warned against those who call for change on the basis of mere rumours.

He said he himself does not go for change until after he is fully convinced, after investigation, that the people he wants to replace have given their work as much as they could and that they were not able to shoulder new responsibilities, or that some had done harm to their position or work.

On the measures to be taken by the government in its new shape and their fresh directives on mending the negative economic impact of the September 11 attacks in the United States, President Mubarak said "I would like to stress a certain fact that must be realized by all: surmounting great crises within tough international and regional - not only local - circumstances requires everybody's efforts: people and government.

The President noted that Egyptians' spending on pilgrimage and lesser pilgrimage ranges from LE 3 to 4 billion annually and in these very difficult circumstance it is neither for the good of religion nor for the good of the people, particularly those who perform Hadj and Omra over and over again.

President Mubarak further said that some people go to Nice, Cannes and other summer resorts to spend their vacations under the false allegation that vacationing in world tourist areas is much cheaper than in Egypt.

They have to know that such conduct simply means some workers will be laid off and some Egyptians will not be able to have bread on the table, and consequently the unemployment rate will reach unbearable heights, he added.

He said: "I would like to tell those people that we all have to take part in the building of our nation. We have to provide jobs for unemployed, not to close the doors before them. I call on those not to cause further pressures on their country with such extravagance. Egypt has now beautiful spots that welcome their Egyptian guests and foreign tourists."

President Mubarak further wondered whether it is" reasonable to import yoghurt and ice cream be it in tough or easy circumstances? Is it logical that we should leave our national carrier and look for foreign companies as a kind of putting on luxurious appearances?"

A travel ticket paid in Egypt for a foreign company means further burdens on the state hard currency revenues because the state pays the value of these tickets for foreign companies in hard currency, said the President.

We all have to consider our status and stop this irrational course of conduct. All the countries of the world, particularly the rich ones, use their national aviation companies and local production and they are always watching their nations' interests, he added.

He noted that the Egyptian national banks should not finance consumer activities nor import of luxury goods.

The rational behaviour and the stable performance would bring about stability, which in turn is essential for development, the President said.

President Mubarak said there are good indications on economic improvement to be realized, pointing out that Arab tourism is increasing. There are good signs through international contacts on stepping up exports and cooperation in the field of investment and development in Egypt, he added.

The president noted an important principle the government is committed to, namely not to seek obtaining' foreign loans, referring to directives given to the government not to accept any foreign loan unless its target is specific and will contribute to gaining particular revenues.

He said he is against loans and adding burdens on the nation and therefore no foreign loan "even the positive ones" will be accepted except after the Parliament's approval.

On his visit to Saudi Arabia, President Mubarak said he spoke with King Fahd bin Abdel-Aziz, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz and other brethren on the international situation especially the Afghan issue and combatting terrorism.

Talks also covered the situation in the Middle East and the peace process as they exchanged views on the content of the recent speech by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, he added.

He referred to identical views on the establishment of the Palestinian state, as stated in Powell's speech, beside the Israeli state.

This is not a new stance as this was declared at the Arab summit in Cairo in 1996, namely the fact that peace is a strategic target for the Arab nation based on the right of the Palestinians to establish an independent state and the right of Israel to exist, he pointed out.

President Mubarak revealed the fact that he was the first to draw up the formula of land-for-peace during a meeting with former U.S. president George Bush in 1991.

President Bush and his then secretary of state James Baker adopted the principle that was known then as the Madrid formula that came out from the peace conference in the Spanish Capital the same year, he added.

The president said Powell's statements were welcomed by Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The return of the US role in the peace process is important, he pointed out.

President George W. Bush's stance regarding the Palestinian issue has led to adopting a wide-range public opinion in Europe and the United States at the levels of governments and peoples, he said.

Everyone is now talking about the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state, the need to reach a just solution to the Palestinian cause and realize peace in the Middle East, he added.

President Mubarak said it is important to say that Powell's statements are welcomed. However, what is important is the "implementation".

Everyone is aware of the fact that the Arab nation's prime concern is the Palestinian cause and the need to reach a just solution. Joint cooperation and coordination on the issue take place among the Arab brothers, he emphasized.

The president strongly warned against' leaving the issue unsolved, saying he had said that leaving conditions as they are would create new generations of terrorists.

It is true that the statements by the US and Europe now on the Palestinian cause are endorsed, but it is necessary to take steps towards reaching a solution and put these statements into effect, he added.

Bin Laden has nothing to do with the Palestinian issue and has not spoken about it except after he faced his current crisis, he pointed out.

On whether he believes that the US administration is serious in its moves over the Palestinian issue, Mubarak said that there is a clear change in the stand of the US administration's moves as it is now more aware of the issue and the situation in the region.

The US administration spoke about a Palestinian state for the first time and on the necessity to halt settlements and this US stance has drawn the stands of all European countries, he said, adding everybody is now speaking about a Palestinian state and peace.

Answering a query that some are speaking about the absence of a mechanism, Mubarak said there are some practical steps to be taken. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns and Powell's advisor General Anthony Zinni, who know the Middle East region well, will visit the area in the next few days, and this indicates practical activities.

He expressed belief that drawing up a mechanism needs discussions with the parties in the region, and this will be undertaken by the American envoys, who will have talks with the readerships in Palestine and Israel as well as other countries in the region.

On his personal explanation of the Sharon government's negative reaction, Mubarak said that "unfortunately, the Israeli government still seems to think that power is the way for a solution, while the best guarantee for Israel's security is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state". He elaborated that what Sharon is doing nourishes hatred against the Israeli people and can never bring about the solution they fancy and will neither realise security nor stability.

On his situation in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul and whether this serves as the beginning of the end for the antiterrorism campaign, Mubarak said that there is still a long way to go in Afghanistan, adding the battle against terrorism is incessant as there would be no way to give any chance for the terrorists to run away.

The whole world has to deal strongly with terrorism as it is a battle that should not be stopped before terrorism is uprooted so that it would not grown again, he said, adding all countries of the globe without exception will never be safe unless such dangerous phenomenon is totally eliminated.

On the role that can be played by the UN in Afghanistan and the formation of international troops so that stability is realised, President Mubarak said that "we are against terrorism because we were the first to taste its woes and we join the international community in the fight against it".

"In terms of principle, I'd like to say that sending Egyptian troops abroad is not up to the president to decide but rather to the nation and parliament. It is not in my powers to issue a decision to dispatch the people's sons to war. We are going to extend all possible help for the Afghan people as we did in cooperation with the UN in Bosnia-Herzegovina," said Mubarak.