CAIRO: Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said that the decision to export gas to Israel was not subject to pressures from any external sources, whether from the United States or the World Bank. "Egypt has its will, even though some are saying the US and the World Bank are pressuring us. We don't accept pressure from anyone, and I personally have never been subjected to it. The only person who tells me what to do is the president, Nazif told students leaders from various universities at the Institute of Leadership in Helwan. Nazif added that the Israelis believe they were tricked by the gas deal as they once had Sinai with all the oil and gas it contained. He defended the price of the deal by stating that at the time the deal was struck natural gas was cheap. Member of the popular campaign to prevent the export of natural gas Abdallah Helmy expressed his astonishment at Nazif's comments, and urged the prime minister to be more realistic. "Thinking that Israel is that naïve that it depends on only one source of gas and that it will allow Egypt to control that source is illusory, he told Daily News Egypt, "That is extremely naïve on the prime minister's part. Israel has natural and nuclear energy sources and has plans to import gas from other areas, notably Iraq. "Our objection is not about Israel specifically, we are saying that we need the gas for ourselves. Egypt needs 58 trillion cubic meters and we only have 32 trillion meters, Helmy added, "We are astonished by his comments, and we hope he tackles the issue with more objectively in the future. Nazif pointed out that Egypt did not sell the gas directly to Israel, but to a company, at a certain price which sells it on to Israel for another, referring to the joint Egyptian-Israeli company Eastern Mediterranean Gas, which built the pipeline through which the gas is transported. Helmy said, "That is another issue: We are selling the gas through a vague broker who is selling the gas on for a higher price. This is corruption. "Gas is like gold, it's a strategic commodity, when you are going to export it; you need to do so at a very high price. The money used from the gas exports is not used for strategic investment projects but rather to counter budget deficits and this is worrying, he added. As for the controversy surrounding the Agrium petrochemical plant meant to be built in Damietta, Nazif said, "It was the government that told Agrium this particular location was specified for petrochemicals but there are those that told the people of Damietta that the plant would pollute the area, which is untrue. Nazif backed this environmental claim with the results of the parliamentary fact-finding committee which said that environmental checks were in place. "In any case, the people of Damietta have a popular desire to move the plant regardless of the correct procedures that have been put in place, Nazif added. The prime minister stated that the search is underway for an alternative location because the state has a commitment to Agrium and also needs to maintain Egypt's reputation concerning foreign investment.
