Sinai tribes are standing shoulder to shoulder with the Egyptian military, Amirah Ibrahim reports The tension is in Cairo and around the Defence Ministry. Yet, the official reply was made hundreds of kilometres from the capital. On Monday, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) accompanied by his military aides visited the heart of the hot peninsula, Arish city in Northern Sinai. The aim was to inaugurate a new cement factory owned by the Armed Forces. Tantawi took advantage of the occasion to send new messages to political opponents inside the country and to neighbours to the east. "Egypt can do it and will do it," Tantawi repeated to Bedouin tribal sheikhs who welcomed him at Al-Owga point where the cement factory is located. "For thousands of years, Egypt has always remained great by its great people. Forget about those who do not deserve to be mentioned and only believe in your country. God is who preserves Egypt, not any one," Tantawi added as he moved slowly shaking hands with each sheikh. Tantawi was accompanied by the electricity, housing and petroleum ministers who toured the factory along with a number of Bedouin sheikhs from the North Sinai tribes as well as governorate parliament representatives and the governor. China's ambassador to Egypt attended the inauguration. Tantawi was asked by Bedouin sheikhs to reply to what they called the hostile threats made by neighbouring countries, taking advantage, they added, of the current political crisis and the tension in Cairo. Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak recently repeated claims that the Sinai Peninsula was not safe enough to maintain peace in the area and called on the Egyptian government to control the region in order to protect the peace accord with Israel. In contrast to the hostile calls made by Cairo protesters against the army, Sinai tribes expressed readiness to support the military. "We are ready to sacrifice our souls to support our beloved military. Just name the mission and we are ready to do it," stated Sheikh Nayef El-Sawarka, head of one of the biggest tribes in North Sinai. The sheikhs attending the event were keen to shake hands and hug Tantawi, each addressing the marshal with words of encouragement. "I will ask you to help and defend your country against its enemies. You are trusted with assisting the army to safeguard the country while it passes through the current phase," Tantawi replied. He added that the Armed Forces would continue working to protect the people and the country. "I do not only hope but also I am certain we will meet the current challenges. Do not think a lot about those who threaten from time to time. Egypt is safe. Every single grain of sand from Sinai to Aswan can never be touched by any external forces." On the domestic level, when some sheikhs suggested that the government should adopt an ambitious plan to settle more than six million Egyptians in the Sinai Peninsula and not just the 750,000 as planned, Tantawi welcomed the idea. "It will certainly come true. This is not a dream that cannot be realised," he replied. "Those who I do not want to name are fighting at the expense of their people and the safety of the country. Such a conflict is a real disaster for Egypt." Tantawi then called on all forces to put their disputes aside and to move positively. "You'd better light a candle so as not to complain about the darkness," he said. "You must stand by your country and fight all sorts of anti-actions. You must fight illegal and criminal groups and cooperate with police forces and security bodies to control them." Tantawi expressed his personal appreciation and gratitude to the Sinai Bedouins who he said had saved his life when he was a young officer. "In 1956, I was trapped in Palestine and the Israelis were chasing my unit. The Palestinians helped me and a colleague to cross the borders into Egypt and the Sinai Bedouins saved my life when they hid us for days till we reached Cairo. I owe you my life," Tantawi told one tribal sheikh. He then made a number of decisions on the spot, including doubling the percentage of Bedouin students accepted at military academies. Tantawi also ordered an immediate LE250 million to the newly established Sinai Development Authority. The new factory was constructed over 210 feddans, using Chinese know-how and Western equipment. A 75,000-metre service area has been set up to accommodate workers and technicians. "The staff, workers, technicians and engineers will be partly accommodated in the factory. Those who come from neighbouring villages in Sinai will be transported using special buses of the Armed Forces. They will also be covered by the military's medical insurance scheme," Major General Ahmed Naim, the factory's director, said. The plant has a firefighting station, sports fields, a sewage water station and a natural gas point. In addition, 10 wells have been drilled to provide drinking water. It was constructed near the Libeny mountain which is rich in elements which help make cement. The factory is the first to be owned by the Armed Forces though the military is a major player in civil industries. With an annual capacity of 3.2 million tonnes, the factory will boost government efforts to expand the cement industry to meet the increasing needs of the Egyptian market. "The current local production of cement is around 45 million tonnes a year which meets current needs. By 2020 the demand will be doubled and the market will need 80 million tonnes," Naim said. Naim said the factory was constructed in three years with the help of the Chinese. He added that 145 Chinese experts will work in the factory during the first year to train Egyptian workers and technicians. Although the factory is owned by the Armed Forces, civilians make up the entire labour force. "The factory employs 790 personnel, 75 per cent of whom are Sinai residents. The rest were employed from outside Sinai. We could not get the required skills from the rest of the Sinai residents," he explained. Two more production lines will be added. "We will add two lines expanding production capacity by an additional 3.2 million tonnes a year. This will take total production capacity to 6.4 million tonnes. And this will open more jobs for the people of North Sinai," Naim said. He added that the new extension should be completed within 24 months. Why would the Armed Forces enter such a business? "We targeted four goals," Naim told Al-Ahram Weekly. "To cover military construction demands, help monitor prices, encourage development project in Sinai and offer more jobs and help solve the growing unemployment rate in Sinai." Tantawi expressed appreciation of the Chinese government which he said decided to help the Egyptian military with the new factory when other governments refused. "We deeply appreciate Chinese willingness to help Egypt. We have been friends for long and they never let us down. I can reveal now that many governments offered to help three years ago but then withdrew their offers and I do not know the reason," Tantawi stated after inaugurating the factory. The Chinese contract includes technical support for one year and supplying spare parts for 10 years. According to Major General Hussein Shafiq, head of the Armed Forces Great Projects Department supervising construction, more than 4,000 workers and technicians were employed to build the factory. Nearly 1,500 were from among the Bedouins. "The cost of the factory is estimated at 274 million Euros funded by the Armed Forces," stated Shafiq. "However, the factory should repay the military out of its profits. Cement factories can cover their construction cost in five or six years. Being a non-profit project, we make a margin profit that allows the factory to pay back in 20 years," Shafiq explained. The factory started production three months ago. It was scheduled for an official inauguration in January but the opening was delayed due to political tension. Over the past three months, the factory produced high quality cement with cheaper prices. "This meets the recommendations made by the parliament's economic committee to control cement prices and construct new factories to meet demand and stop monopolisation. The military will not monitor the market to prevent illegal practices by traders. "We have adopted a marketing strategy which relies on low prices and no sole agent. We do not limit our selling through four or five agents. We have more than 85 agents distributing our production. Moreover, we welcome individuals who seek to obtain cement with factory prices." Naim said the factory at present has exporting contracts to Libya. "We do not plan to expand in exporting to cover local demand. Exports will not exceed 10 per cent of production."
