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| ROUND UP: The month at a glance |
U.A.E. bars Egypt’s livestock
The UAE issued a ministerial order in early September to ban the
import of cow, goat and sheep livestock from Egypt, after several
cases of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) were reported in the Nile Delta.
RVF usually afflicts animals and can be transmitted by mosquitoes.
Occasionally, however, the virus causes disease in humans.
Germany opens local uni
The German University in Cairo (GUC) will officially open on October
4. The university – located in New Cairo City – will offer
English-language degrees in the science and technology fields.
Privatization gets second wind
In September, the ministerial privatization committee announced
that it had approved – in principle – the sale of 35 wholly-
or partly-owned state enterprises, including a 39-percent stake
in the Egyptian Company for Starch & Glucose.
Cement firms export
In August, Assiut Cement, Alexandria Portland Cement and Beni Suef
Cement collectively shipped off more than 46,000 tons of Ordinary
Portland Cement, the companies’ first ever exports. Due to
January’s currency devaluation, local cement prices have become
more competitive on the international market this year.
Raya to join CASE
Local information technology firm Raya Holding is reportedly preparing
to put its shares on public offer on the local stock exchange in
the first quarter of 2004.
Tourists cough up dollars
In the latest effort to remedy the hard currency shortage, foreign
tourists in Egypt must now pay in foreign currency for any medical
treatment they receive in the country, the health ministry announced
in early September. In accordance with Decree 506, 75 percent of
this income will go to the treasury in exchange for local currency.
Petroleum revenues surge
Sales of petroleum products brought in a $525 million surplus for
the fiscal year 2002/03, a 22-percent year-on-year increase, petroleum
minister Sameh Fahmy announced in September.
Muhagabat to sue ERTU
Some female television presenters are considering legal action against
the Egyptian Radio & Television Union for allegedly banning
them from appearing on screen with Islamic headdress, the higab,
international press reported last month.
Hawass spurns gods
Secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities
Zahi Hawass said scientific studies would be performed on unexcavated
tombs in an effort to dispel the centuries-old “myth”
of the Pharaohs’ curse. Anyone who opens a Pharaonic tomb,
legend has it, is cursed to die a horrible death.
France, Egypt to cooperate in defense
While a military delegation, headed by defense minister Hussein
Tantawi, visited Paris in September, officials from the two countries
launched talks on defense and military cooperation.
Iran reviews bilateral ties
Iranian government officials in September pledged to forge closer
relations with Egypt. Iran-Egypt ties have generally remained precarious
since the Camp David accords, which many Iranian officials saw as
having “adversely affected the Palestinian cause.”
Egypt okays Irish beef
According to the agriculture ministry, Egypt has loosened the conditions
applied to the import of Irish beef, which had been temporarily
halted in 2000 due to concerns over “Mad Cow Disease.”
In 1999, Egypt was Ireland’s largest market for beef, importing
150,000 tons of the meat.
El Beltagui sets sights on pensioners
Minister of Tourism Mamdouh El Beltagui said in September that Egypt
could become a winter resort for pensioners from around the world,
offering cultural events, medical assistance and curative tourism.
A delegation of Egyptian doctors and experts traveled to Norway
to examine the initiative.
Military trains Sudanese forces
The military is offering to train and equip police and security
forces in several African countries, including Mozambique and Sudan.
Egypt already provides Sudan with military and security aid to support
Khartoum in its battle against separatist groups.
Three more to trade without ceiling
Effective September 7, the Cairo & Alexandria Stock Exchanges
added Arab Polvara Spinning & Weaving, Misr Chemical Industries
and EFG-Hermes Holding Company to the list of companies to be traded
with no ceiling.
DaimlerChrysler miffed over China export
Germany’s DaimlerChrysler was reportedly irritated that the
local Mercedes manufacturer is exporting Egyptian-made Mercedes
to China, foreign trade minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali said last
month. Earlier this year, 250 locally manufactured Mercedes sedans
were exported to China, while another 1,000 vehicles are on order.
Lawsuit of biblical proportions
Egyptian lawyer Nabil Hilmi, dean of the faculty of law at Zaqaziq
University, said in early September that he was considering a lawsuit
against international Jewry for stealing gold from Egypt during
the Exodus. Primary evidence for the prosecution is based on an
Old Testament passage stating that the Israelites “plundered
the Egyptians.” Hilmi said experts were also studying the argument
that Jews could counter-sue Egypt for having enslaved them.
NIB boosts stake in Suez
The National Investment Bank acquired 2.58 million shares –
a 4-percent stake – in Suez Cement in early September, bringing
the bank’s total ownership of the company to 5 percent. Ciments
Francais, which holds 34.1 percent of Suez, is also looking to increase
its stake.
80 firms de-listed from CASE
Some 80 companies were de-listed from the Cairo & Alexandria
Stock Exchanges in early September, 58 for failing to comply with
listing requirements and 22 at the companies’ requests.
Quicki-mart for taxpayers opens
The “one-stop shop” where taxpayers can pay their income
taxes, sales taxes and customs dues was inaugurated in mid-September.
The center aims at streamlining customs clearance procedures and
expediting tax refunds.
Anti-trust reportedly imminent
The final draft of the anti-trust law, which stipulates the rules
for fair commercial competition and outlaws monopolies, was scheduled
to reach the parliamentary floor by late September.
Health ministry certifies Jordan drugs
After years of wrangling, the health ministry last month agreed
to officially register five medicines from six Jordanian pharmaceutical
companies, allowing Jordanian drugs to be marketed in Egypt for
the first time. Around 170 Egyptian medicines are currently sold
in Jordan.
Egyptian workers’ loyalties suspected
A recent report by the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in
Iraq (SCIRI) suggests that Shiite delegates in the US-appointed
Iraqi Governing Council thwarted attempts by other members to allow
thousands of Egyptian workers to come to Iraq for work in the fields
of security and oil. Shiite delegates reportedly found support among
high-ranking Sunni officials in the ministries of defense and interior
who believe that hundreds of these workers may have had links with
the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Alex museum opens
The new Alexandria National Museum was opened in late August, and
will display up to 1,800 artifacts from the Pharaonic, Roman, Coptic
and Islamic eras.
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