The Arab Gulf states are currently competing with one another to finance economic projects in Egypt designed to enhance development after the January 25 Revolution, particularly after the public pressure is forcing Egyptian leaders to refuse Western aid. Egypt's natural and financial resources can support the development process witout financial aid from the Gulf or Europe, experts say, adding that there are options to finance Egypt's future projects after the current transitional stage ends. Likely Egyptian presidential candidate Amr Moussa today welcomed the implementation of the Marshal Plan to deal with Arab economic problems. “The plan is not related only to money, it is related to changing the governmental dealings with the problems people suffer in the Arab region,” Moussa said. Ola al-Hakim, the former head of the Planning Institute, today warned of implementing the Marshall Model, saying that political and economic subordination is possible. She also rejected the idea of implementing the model in the Gulf States. “One of the main objectives of the Arab revolutions is to liberate the Arab States from powerful countries and employ our own political and economic freedom,” she added. Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf will present a plan to the Gulf States regarding the support of the Egyptian economy. “Egypt is not a poor country,” said Ahmed al-Ghandour, an economic expert. “Eliminating corruption will pave the way for executing the Marshall Plan without depending on any foreign parties.” “Egypt's economic crisis is due to mismanagement,” he added. He also blamed the current transitional government for economic problems in Egypt, and suggested measures like a unified tax policy, a restructuring of the state budget and a reduction in governmental spending to move Egypt's economy forward. Al-Ghandour demanded that the government draft a policy regarding minimum and maximum wages to ease public protests and strikes, which, according to the economist, exacerbate the political and economic conditions in Egypt.
