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VIEWPOINT

Mission on target

One of the most significant moments during our 2001 DoorKnock mission to America was the meeting prior to the luncheon marking the inauguration of AmCham Egypt’s new offices in the US Chamber of Commerce. Aside from the presence of HE President Hosni Mubarak, one was acutely conscious of sitting in a room with 21 CEOs representing major US firms with a combined market capitalization of around a trillion dollars (10 percent of the United States’ GDP). Moreover, I can say without presumption that this was but one of several high-profile gatherings in which AmCham Egypt’s delegates had an opportunity to present the case for doing business in Egypt to their American counterparts and members of the new US administration.

With the inauguration of the Office of US-Egypt Business Partnership Development, commercial relations between the American and Egyptian private sectors have entered a stage of unprecedented outreach and potential. The US Chamber is the world’s largest and arguably most powerful federation of businesses. With 3,000 state and local chambers, 1,000 business-association affiliates and 80 international offices, the US Chamber’s network penetrates virtually every stratum of American business, both in the United States and abroad. The US Chamber, therefore, has the connections, communication channels and institutional relationships to help us build our presence in the US marketplace and to stimulate trade and investment in Egypt.

The advantages of working with a powerful organization like the US Chamber of Commerce are many, and we plan to make good use of them. We are now better positioned to ensure interchange between Egyptian and US interests and to maintain continuity in our work in Washington, including the vital process of follow-through on the many contacts initiated during our annual DoorKnock missions.

On the flipside, AmCham Egypt is an excellent base from which to present Egyptian export/investment opportunities to the US business community. Our organization can provide vital information and assistance to US investors regarding the business climate and culture within which we operate. We are enthusiastic about this new partnership and hope that all AmCham Egypt members will take advantage of the possibilities it presents.

This year, in contrast to the broader-based approach of previous DoorKnock missions, our meeting strategy was to target specific individuals and groups in both the government and the private sector. The result was quality time with key Washington players. Other highlights of the mission came in our roundtable discussions with members of the US Department of State, the House Committee of International Affairs and the US Department of Commerce.

In many of these encounters, promoting the mutual advantages of an FTA between the US and Egypt was high on our agenda. In pushing for a US-Egypt FTA, AmCham Egypt delegates stressed that FTA negotiations would in themselves push ahead important reforms in Egypt.

Several of the meetings were distinguished by surprisingly open discussions with people who are experienced with and knowledgeable about Egypt and the region. But this was not always the case, of course. The new US administration is far from settled in, and many second-tier staffers have yet to be appointed. Trade policy is still being revised, and a “Free Trade Promotion Authority” awaits authorization in Congress. One thing we can say with assurance, however, is that like previous Republican administrations, this one is more interested in doing business than discussing social issues.

I think our message was well presented and that some key individuals heard it loud and clear. More generally, current political and economic circumstances ensured that people in Washington were ready to listen. Let’s hope the next step is action.

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