Egyptian space scientist and vice president of the Arab union for space and astrology studies professor Muslim Shaltout said Israel and the U.S. oppose Egyptian attempts to build rockets that launch satellites into the outer space. Israel sees in this project possibilities of spying on its national security, Shaltout said. Shaltout said Israel and the U.S. put the features of the Egyptian space project back in 2000 since there was no political leadership in Egypt to take a decision regarding the project. Israeli and U.S. administrations set warnings for the project since they opposed satellites to have infrared options. Then will they be able to capture tank movement at nighttime, Shaltout added. He added, "Why are we [Egyptians] always the weaker part in the peace accord? Why are we always tending to peace and not our counterparts?" He also asked the Egyptian Minister of Scientific Research Nadia Zakhari to give more attention for the space project since it is essential for Egyptian national security.
