El-Sissi, in attempt to change image, unveils Suez Canal extension
by Daily Sabah
IstanbulAug 07, 2015 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Daily Sabah
Aug 07, 2015 12:00 am
Egypt unveiled on Thursday a major extension of the Suez Canal that President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has called an historic achievement needed to boost the country's ailing economy. "El-Sissi, wearing his ceremonious military uniform and trademark dark sunglasses, flew to the site aboard a military helicopter and immediately boarded a monarchy-era yacht that sailed to the venue of the ceremony. The yacht was flanked by navy warships as helicopters and fixed wing aircraft flew over. El-Sissi, standing on the vessel's upper deck, waved to well-wishers and folklore dance troupes performing on shore. Later in the day, the president hosted an elaborate ceremony in the canal city of Ismailia attended by foreign dignitaries amid tight security measures following a series of attacks by militants in the Sinai Peninsula and the capital," AP reported.
Despite the fact that the project is noteworthy for its economic contribution to the impoverished Egyptian economy, el-Sissi who has introduced himself to the world with mass killings, heading a bloody military coup and human rights violations, aims to change his image in the international community. The pro-government media outlets in Egypt have likened el-Sissi to Jamal Abdel Nasser who also headed a coup in 1952 and nationalized the Canal, despite pressure from the U.K. The project was initially estimated to take three years, but el-Sissi ordered it completed in one in order to present himself as a leader who works for bettering the Egyptian economy. As el-Sissi attaches great importance to the opening, dozens of envoys from several countries including the U.S. and North Korea were invited. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry even sent an invitation to Turkey despite the fact that tensions between the countries have escalated over the coup that toppled Egypt's first democratically elected President Muhammed Morsi.
"The new Suez Canal extension involved digging and dredging along 72 kilometers of the 193-kilometer canal, making a parallel waterway in its middle that will facilitate two-way traffic. With a depth of 24 meters, the canal now allows the simultaneous passage of ships up to 66 ft. draught. The government says the project, funded entirely by Egyptian investors, will more than double the canal's annual revenue to $13.2 billion by 2023, injecting much-needed foreign currency into an economy that has struggled to recover from the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak and the years of turmoil that followed. Economists and shippers have questioned the value of the project, saying the increased traffic and revenues the government is hoping for would require major growth in global trade, which at this point seems unlikely," AP said.
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