Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said on Monday that the Egyptian economy is at a "critical stage" and that it will take six months to resolve the nation’s economic crisis. He said, however, that in terms of the political situation, the country was doing well.
During a meeting with members of the Egyptian community in Saudi Arabia, Sharaf said that global reports indicate that Egypt is expected to become among the 15 largest economies in the world by 2030, and the largest economy in the world by 2050.
Denying reports that investors would be prosecuted for past wrongdoings, Sharaf said he was not worried about attracting investors to Egypt in the future. “But there are corrupt contracts, and those responsible will be brought to justice,” he said.
He went on to say that no one is above the law, pointing out that the most critical problem facing the current government is “the need to reconcile with the Egyptian people.” He stressed that the government's priority now lies in the “speedy delivery of services to the poor and an acceptable quality of life for Egyptians.”
Sharaf stressed that Egypt supports Gulf security, saying that Egypt blessed the cooperation of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in the Peninsula Shield Force, a move he described as a good step.
Meanwhile, the emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, pledged that his country would support Egypt in the face of the challenges it currently faces.
Following a meeting on Tuesday, Sharaf reported Sabah as saying that “Egypt offered much to Kuwait.”
He recounted himself telling Sabah that the Gulf remains an essential part of Arab national security in general and of Egyptian national security in particular.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
