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Egypt Announces 47% Increase in Suez Canal Revenues

17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. (dpa)
17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. (dpa)
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Egypt Announces 47% Increase in Suez Canal Revenues

17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. (dpa)
17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. (dpa)

The Egyptian government on Friday denied that the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) had reached an agreement with a foreign company to manage the canal’s services.

In spite of the denial, the hashtag “Suez Canal” remained the top trending topic in the country over the past two days, prompting SCA chairman, Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, to warn against heeding rumors.

Rabie said the canal is owned by Egypt and the Egyptian people and that all employees in the canal are and will remain Egyptians.

In statements to Al Nahar TV, he urged Egyptians to shun such rumors.

Social media posts had claimed that the SCA had contracted a company to manage its operations through a 99-year concession contract. The post sparked widespread outrage among Egyptians on social media.

On Friday, the cabinet denied the reports.

In a statement, it explained that it contacted the SCA for clarification. The SCA categorically dismissed the reports.

“The SCA stressed the Suez Canal will remain as a state-owned asset,” the cabinet added.

Separately, Rabei said revenues from the canal increased by 47 percent in January, compared to the same period last year.

He added that 23,800 vessels crossed the canal last year and that 2,159 vessels transited the canal in January, an increase of 21 percent.

General Coordinator of the National Dialogue and head of the State Information Service (SIS) Diaa Rashwan said the Suez Canal is more than a waterway in Egypt, stressing that it is a symbol of the country’s modern history since its establishment in 1805.

In televised remarks, he warned that the canal is being targeted by rumors and false claims with the aim of harming the people.

In December, the parliament had caused as a stir when it approved a draft law on amending the work regulations of the SCA and establishing a dedicated fund to manage its assets.

The moved sparked widespread political and popular debate.

At the time, Rabie explained that the fund was aimed at investing part of the canal revenues in developing the SCA and projects that will benefit all Egyptians.

He stressed that Egypt will continue to have full sovereignty over the waterway.

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UN Humanitarian Chief Urges Massive Aid Boost for Syria

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP
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UN Humanitarian Chief Urges Massive Aid Boost for Syria

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP

Visiting UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called Wednesday for a massive aid boost for Syria to respond to "this moment of hope" after the ouster of longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad.
"Across the country, the needs are huge. Seven in 10 people are needing support right now," Fletcher told AFP in a telephone interview as he visited Syria.
"I want to scale up massively international support, but that now depends on donors. The Syria fund has been historically, shamefully underfunded and now there is this opportunity," he said.
"The Syrian people are trying to come home when it's safe to do so, to rebuild their country, to rebuild their communities and their lives.
"We have to get behind them and to respond to this moment of hope. And if we don't do that quickly, then I fear that this window will close."
Half of Syria's population were forced from their homes during nearly 14 years of civil war, with millions finding refuge abroad.
UN officials have said a $4 billion appeal for Syria aid is less than a third funded.
"There are massive humanitarian needs... water, food, shelter... There are needs in terms of government services, health, education, and then there are longer term rebuilding needs, development needs," Fletcher said.
"We've got to be ambitious in our ask of donors.
"The Syrian people demand that we deliver, and they're right to demand that we deliver," he said. "The world hasn't delivered for the Syrian people for more than a decade."
'Test for all'
As part of his visit, Fletcher met representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the opposition group which spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad, including its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir.
Fletcher said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's new administration that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground.
"We need unhindered, unfettered access to the people that we're here to serve. We need the crossings open so we can get massive amounts of aid through... We need to ensure that humanitarian workers can go where they need to go without restriction, with protection," he said.
"I received the strongest possible reassurances from the top of that caretaker administration that they will give us that support that we need. Let's test that now in the period ahead."
Assad's government had long imposed restrictions on humanitarian organizations and on aid distribution in areas of the country outside its control.
Fletcher said that the coming period would be "a test for the UN, which hasn't been able to deliver what we wanted to over a decade now... Can we scale up? Can we gain people's trust?
"But it's also a test for the new administration," he added. "Can they guarantee us a more permissive environment than we had under the Assad regime?
"I believe that we can work in that partnership, but it's a huge test for all of us."