CAIRO - For 30 years, the policies of Egyptian governments towards Sinai caused people to raise their eyebrows. The development of Sinai has been astonishingly slow, especially for Egyptians who have paid dearly for this precious piece of Egypt to be liberated. Egyptians wonder what the delay is. Why have the residents of Sinai been marginalised and mistreated? Why is the security there so poor? The recent security tension in Sinai and the border incident between Egypt and Israel have prompted these questions again. Strategic experts have made it clear that developing and bringing more people to Sinai may be the solution for many of the strategic and security problems, and economists and sociologists agree that this is essential for Egypt's future. The Government recently revealed some plans and projects for developing Sinai, but, at the same time, the public are wondering how we can correct the mistakes the old regime made in this precious part of Egypt. The Egyptian Gazette probes the public's fears and dreams for their beloved Sinai. A strategic treasure One of the most serious crimes of the Mubarak regime was its neglect of Sinai; it is also one of the most difficult to explain. What prevented this regime from using and developing this part of the country? Some say that the purpose of this neglect was to serve Zionist and Western plans in Sinai. "Sinai has always been a target for foreign ambitions, as it is a magical, strategic spot connecting three continents," says General Ragaai Attia, an ex-fighter and strategic expert specialising in Sinai. Attia, who thinks the best way to predict the future is to look at the past, sees the Zionists and some European countries as the main threats to Sinai. “Zionists still think that Sinai is part of their promised land and the perfect solution for getting rid of the Palestinians is to send them to Sinai, as former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon wanted," Attia told a seminar held recently in the Journalists' Syndicate, under the title ‘Sinai between a dangerous past and future development'. The seminar, at which a group of ex-generals and war heroes spoke, not only highlighted the strategic importance of the place but also gave an insight into the economic and business opportunities there. The generals told their audience that the Egyptians are strong enough to defend this area and any investments there. "These allegations about Palestinian, Islamist or terrorist factions in Sinai are Zionist propaganda to destabilise this area for Israel's own ends," said Attia, adding that the only way to put an end to the ambitions of external powers is the comprehensive development of Sinai, creating cities where millions of Egyptians can live. Nour Eddin Abdel-Samad, an archaeologist, who worked in Sinai for several years, impressed the audience when he said that an ancient text from the time of Pharaonic times showed how one Pharaoh advised his son to build many cities in Sinai, in order to combat the greed of the enemy and deal him many losses. General Mokhtar el-Far, a fighter who spent the flower of his youth defending the land of Sinai, sees that Sinai has what many countries don't have, including the potential to accommodate 14 million citizens. "The people, who will live there and eat from its land, will be the best able to defend it from any foreign ambition,” he explained. Only a few days ago, the Egyptian PM, Essam Sharaf, formed a special committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Ali Al-Selmi, for developing Sinai. The Committee for Developing Sinai is going to supervise and promote the development projects in Sinai. The committee is preparing several plans for investments, and educational and social projects. The Ministry of Electricity has declared a plan to invest LE10 billion in Sinai in the coming years, while the Ministry of Industry has also declared incentives and new plans for projects in Sinai. El-Far stressed that such committees should use the experience of these ex-fighters, who know Sinai like the back of their hand. "For them it's precious; many of their friends have died for Sinai," he added. A country in itself The Sinai Peninsula is a triangular-shaped peninsula, about 61,100km2 in area. Similar to the desert, the peninsula contains mountains in its southern sector that are a geological extension of the Red Sea Hills, the low range along the Red Sea coast that includes Mount Catherine, the country's highest point, at 2,642m above sea-level. The southern side of the peninsula has a sharp escarpment that subsides after a narrow coastal shelf that slopes into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. The elevation of Sinai's southern rim is about 1,000m. Moving northward, the elevation of this limestone plateau decreases. The northern third of Sinai is a flat, sandy coastal plain, which extends from the Suez Canal into the Gaza Strip. But the importance of Sinai lies not only in its geographical location, as it is also a land bridge between Asia and Africa. Sinai is honourably mentioned in the Holy Qur'an and other Heavenly Scriptures. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) stayed there for a year, before returning with his wife, Sarah. The Prophet Moses lived there and married the daughter of Shoaib. Moses received the tablets here. He also died in Sinai, as did his brother, Aaron. The Holy Family also crossed it en route to mainland Egypt. They then passed through Sinai again, when they returned home to Nazareth. As well as having geographic and economic importance, Sinai is also very important historically. According to Abdel-Sammad the archaeologist, man discovered Sinai before coming to the Nile Valley. Some of the artifacts found there are15,000 years old. General Attia continued to talk about the vast economic potential that has been ignored by different governments. "Sinai is rich in 13 valuable minerals; if we export them as products, not raw materials, we give them an added value," he stressed. Sinai is rich in gypsum (with an estimated output of 450,000 tons/year); glass sand; coal and sediment carbon; granite and marble; and petroleum. Apart from hunting and pasturing, agriculture is the traditional occupation of the mainstream population of Sinai. The total cultivated area in the peninsula measures comes to around 175,000 feddans. The main crops are fruits, vegetables and cereals. Livestock consists mainly of camels, cattle, goats and water buffalo. Development in Sinai depends on different water resources that include rainfall (estimated at 90 to 235 million cubic metres per year), subterranean water (80 million cubic metres are available for use per year) and natural wells (producing 3 - 80 cubic metres per hour). There is also Al-Salam Canal, which brings water from the Damietta Branch of the Nile, under the Suez Canal, to the Sinai Peninsula, in a bid to allow the cultivation of 400,000 feddans of land. Then there is Al-Defresoir Reservoir, that aims to cultivate 77,000 feddans, east of the Suez Canal. Although most of the investments in Sinai in recent years have gone on the tourism sector, many experts believe that much more still needs to be done in this sector. Sinai enjoys moderate weather, with sandy and rocky beaches, while its waters are full of treasures, such as coral reefs, rare fish and other marine organisms. Meanwhile, religious tourism there is concentrated in Saint Catherine's and Wadi Feran; tens of thousands of tourists visit Saint Catherine's Monastery every year. There are other important archaeological and historical touristic sites in Sinai, such as ‘Servant Srabit' near Ras Abu Znimh, where there a temple to Hathor is to be found. It is also rich in medical herbs and is suitable for safaris and scientific tourism, because of its wonderful environment, flora and fauna. Unlimited dreams General Mohamed Wi'am, a former military pilot, who now works in tourism, describes Sinai as a paradise for tourist sports. "Mountain climbing, balloon flying and other desert sports are some of the attractions of Sinai that very few places can compete with," he said. Many people are interested in developing Sinai and they have many different ideas. Some soldiers think that the military should do this. "What about creating a new branch in the Army for young men to be deployed there for the sake of developing the peninsula?" asked one general, while Wi'am suggested that every Egyptian should spend at least spend three weeks working there, as a national duty. Veteran writer Soleiman el-Hakim thinks that every ministry should share this responsibility, not only the Army. "Every ministry should have a committee for developing Sinai; then we could see what they can do,” he suggested. Another writer, Hanaa Omar, dreams of having a big national project to create another canal, parallel to the Suez Canal. "This canal would serve as another defensive line and on its banks we could create armed agricultural communities, like those found in Israel," she said. Correcting the mistake Academic Salah Abdallah sees that the first step for developing Sinai should involve developing its residents. "Its time we had a university in Sinai. The students and staff would live there, encouraging more people to settle in the peninsula,” he said, adding that the development of Sinai should be part of the development of Egypt as a whole. Mohamed el-Shafei, a writer and historian, thinks we need to settle at least 5 million people there, so we can put an end to the dreams and ambitions of other powers. "Neglecting Sinai was one of the biggest crimes of the ex-regime. This neglect had a terrible effect on the residents of Sinai themselves, forcing some of them into crime. It's time to correct this mistake," he explained. Sinai's Bedouin, numbering approximately 400,000, have for centuries inhabited the large (23,500 square miles) and arid peninsula. They have a distinct cultural identity and a strong tribal organisation. Though Egyptian citizens, they are not allowed to join the Army or Police or hold significant governmental positions. Under the Mubarak regime, they were not allowed to form a political party or to register their agricultural land. The ex-Government blamed them for some security problems in the region. According to experts and residents, these problems are the result of a governmental failure since Egypt regained this territory from Israel in 1982. They argue that neglect and the absence of development plans, in addition to restrictions on land ownership, have pushed an impoverished and unskilled population into illegal activities. Although beach resorts drawing millions of Western holidaymakers have expanded along the coastlines of Sinai, local people say they have benefited little from this, as the tourism industry is owned and operated by outsiders. A stumbling block People may be happy now about the plans and declarations of officials that they are going to take care of Sinai, but some still see the Camp David accords as a stumbling block. Amending the Camp David accords, especially the security arrangements in Sinai's Zones B and C, was suggested in Egypt, after the killing of six Egyptian border guards in Sinai last month. Many political parties and potential presidential candidates like Amr Moussa have expressed an interest in amending the accords, while, in a recent interview, Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil el-Arabi described the peace treaty as “not holy writ”. However, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Yasser Reda last week, in protest at Essam Sharaf's statements to Turkish TV regarding the Camp David accords. Sharaf said in an interview aired on Egyptian TV: "The Camp David treaty is always open to discussion or modification, if that is beneficial for the region and for a just peace. The peace treaty is not sacred and there can be changes made to it."
