CAIRO: The Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, Faiza Aboul Naga, revealed that Egypt is working towards taking steps aimed at self-sufficiency and dispensing of foreign aid and assistance over the next decade. She said that certain development fields during this 10 year period will be slowly drawn back and removed. In her statement to reporters, she asserted that in “case of achieving the targeted growth rates, Egypt would be able to give up such assistance.” The minister pointed out, at a press conference last Wednesday that Egypt has made a proposal to the United States to devote the bulk of aid in favor of training in the fields of science and technology, physics and nature, and to send the Egyptian mission to train and gain experience in the US. She emphasized that Egypt rejected the use of American aid under the previous administration, after having had aid reduced from $415 million to $200 million, but she said the new administration of Barack Obama has risen the total aid for Egypt to $250 million. On the Israeli presence in the Nile Basin countries, Aboul Naga said “this matter does not raise our concerns, as long as Egypt works on strengthening the strategic dimension for us in Africa,” pointing out that Egypt had “deliberately strengthened economic ties with Ethiopia to achieve this dimension,” referring to the expansion in the importation of Ethiopian meat. The minister also stressed that the government would not allow private companies to invest in the landmine zone in the northwest coast, until after the completion of clearance in and around el-Alamein. The minister pointed out during the press conference that “some private companies demanded investing in plots of lands, in return, they demine these lands, but this proposal was rejected for reasons of national security,” stressing that no one can clear the mines except the Egyptian armed forces. She denied that there was disagreement within the ministry and with the government on how to deal with the three countries that caused the laying of mines during World War II, namely Britain, Germany and Italy, pointing out that Egypt will continue to put pressure on those States, “to activate its role in this issue.” She pointed out that these countries argue that Egypt announced its participation in the war, despite the fact that “Egypt has never been a part of this war at all.” She stressed that Egypt will not accept joining the Convention of Ottawa for demining, “as long as it does not serve our interests.” BM
