Mubarak calls for unity, hails economic reform in Egypt - Summary

Sun, 19 Dec 2010

Cairo - Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak warned Sunday against internal and foreign threats to national unity while called on the parliament to adhere to the country's reform agenda to ensure further economic growth.

Mubarak, addressing the newly-elected parliament, accused unnamed groups of attempting to instigate sectarian tension in Egypt.

"We still face threats of extremism and terrorism, endeavors to interfere in our affairs and attempts targeting Muslim-Coptic unity or, other times, schemes to drive a wedge between us and our brothers in the Nile Basin countries," Mubarak said.

Last month, violence erupted after authorities ceased construction on a church in Cairo, citing a lack of required permits, reports said. Earlier this year a shooting killed eight Christians and a Muslim policeman guarding a church in southern Egypt, on the eve of Coptic Christmas, celebrated on January 7.

Tensions exist between the country's Christian and Muslim populations, though such instances take place on rare occasions.

Egypt's relations with Nile basin countries soured as the African states objected to a 1929 agreement, which organizes the proportion of Nile water to each country, and gives Egypt and Sudan the lion's share of water.

"The way we handle our foreign policy and national security issues is based on honesty and clarity. What we say in public is the same as we say behind closed doors," Mubarak said, in reference to the leaked US cables by WikiLeaks.

One cable revealed the country's fears that if Sudan is divided into two states, it might threaten Egypt's access to the River Nile. Another said that Mubarak is likely to seek re-election next year and will "inevitably" win.

The country faces a presidential election in 2011, with it still unclear if Mubarak, now 82, will run again. The opposition and some observers believe he is grooming his son, Gamal, for the job.

Despite the opposition's constant calls against Gamal, he seems to be supported by many, as his statements reveal he would maintain the same liberal economic policy currently taken by the government.

Mubarak also announced the country aims to achieve an average annual growth rate of eight per cent over the coming five years as it adheres to its business-friendly reform plan.

"We have to complete, and adhere to, our reform agenda that has strengthened our economy, pushing it for high growth rates and helped us overcome two consecutive global crises with our resources," the president said.

More industrial and commercial zones will be established, as well as others for agribusiness, he added, "to raise our productivity, exports and ability to compete and push our average growth rates to eight per cent during the next five years."

Egypt witnessed a 5-per-cent growth in the last fiscal year, yet the government seeks to get back to the 7-per-cent growth it had seen before the crisis hit.

"Major economies still suffer from repercussions of the global economic recession," Mubarak said. "Our economy stood in front of these repercussions and we did not reach out for any help."

The government have pushed through business-friendly reforms since 2004, which pushed for several years of rapid economic growth until the rate slowed to 4.7 per cent in the 2008-09 fiscal year.

The economy was was hurt by declines in several sectors including tourism, exports, Suez Canal traffic and expatriate revenues.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/358896,reform-egypt-summary.html.