Minister of Tourism Zoheir Garana said Wagih Siag's land in Sinai was seized because he breached the contract, according to the laws and regulations prevailing in the country. The land now goes back to the government. Responding to Siag's statements in Al-Masry Al-Youm, Garana said: "The government did not allocate the land or any part of it to Hussein Salem, any member of his family or any of his companies after it was seized."
He added: "As a matter of public interest, the land was then allocated in July 2001 to East Gas Company, which is fully owned by the government, for the pipeline (known as the Arab Gas Pipeline) and the pumping stations of the company to export the gas to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon." He continued: "This was necessary for that strategic line and for the public good. Also, no tourism project was built on the land in question or any part of it since 1996." Garana said that although the ruling of the arbitration cannot be appealed, it can still be contested as void, which is what the defense team of the government is currently studying in order to make a decision in this regard within the next two days. "What Siag said about canceling the project for reasons of national security is a lie," he added.
