Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Has Reportedly Undertaken to Support Plans for Exporting Egyptian Natural Gas to Israel

摘要

On his return from a visit to Cairo on 7 June,the Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister,Mr.Silvan Shalom,announced that he had agreed with the Egyptian President,Mr.Hosni Mubarak,to sign a heads of agreement shortly supporting the Egyptian natural gas sales contract concluded between the Egyptian-Israeli consortium East Mediterranean Gas (EMG) and Israel Electric Corporation (IEC).This contract,worth an estimated US2.5 billion,was approved in May by the IEC's board of directors,despite the opposition of the Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure,Mr.Josef Paritzky (AOG,1 June,2004).It provides for EMG to supply IEC with 1.2 billion cu m/year of Egyptian gas starting in July 2006,rising to 1.7 billion cu m/year with effect from July 2007 and for a period of 14 years.