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Monday, May 29, 2000
His Majesty King Juan Carlos I Her Majesty Queen Sofia Ladies and Gentlemen On this happy occasion, I would like to express to you, the government and the people of Spain my deep appreciation of the hearty welcome with which we were received since our arrival in Madrid. I would also like to thank you for the sincere words which expressed the depth of the relationship that has connected Egypt and Spain throughout history and the warmth of the relations of friendship that have bound us for years. As you know, we in Egypt have been following, with great admiration, the progress achieved by your friendly country in the past years which was based on a wise policy founded on a solid foundation of economic and social progress and the deepening of democracy; something which has made Spain one of the most remarkable countries, not only in Europe, but in the whole world. We have also been following with admiration the foreign policy followed by Spain, a policy that has been, and will be, appreciated by us. This policy is based on support for international legitimacy, support for people's right to self-determination and a full understanding that only just and comprehensive peace is durable peace. Hence, the hosting by Spain of the Madrid Peace conference in 1999 was a major turning point in the history of efforts made to reach a peaceful settlement in the Middle East where the principles of "land for Peace" and the respect for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people were established. The constant support for the peace process by Spain has been the focus of appreciation by Egypt and other parties to the peace process and a major impetus to strengthen the bonds of cooperation between us. This makes us look forward to an active Spanish role -- at this critical juncture in the peace process - in pushing forth this process in order to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on the strict implementation of the principle of "land for peace" and adherence to the Madrid frame of reference; and until Israel withdraws from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, an independent and sovereign Palestinian state is established, a just settlement for the issue of Jerusalem in all its political and religious aspects is reached and until all states in the region give up weapons of mass destruction the foremost of which is nuclear weapons and until peace in the region is established on the basis of respect, cooperation and mutual benefits. All the peoples of the whole Arab region rejoiced in the Israeli withdrawal last week from southern Lebanon as a significant and important step towards a settlement which we hope will be followed by other similar steps on the road to peace and stability in the Middle East. The depth of the relationship between Spain and Egypt was strengthened by the successive initiatives by Spain to promote Euro-Mediterranean relationships, and your country's keenness to promote its relationship with the continent of Africa, of which we are part, that looks forward to a creative cooperation with the European countries that are qualified to play the role of the major partner with African countries at a time that the latter face tremendous odds in their search for stability and progress. It is for these reasons that active Spanish participation in making the First Africa/ Europe Summit in Cairo in April of this year a success was appreciated by African leaders. We look forward to the continuation of the leading Spanish role in support of this cooperation, and the strengthening of the concept of partnership between the two continents for the mutual benefit of both in all fields. His Majesty the King Her Majesty the Queen Dear Friends Egypt and Spain have had special and growing relations based on the role played by the two countries since the thirteenth Century, to link two ancient civilizations both founded on noble cultural and value systems. This cultural linkage has continued into present times as witnessed by Egypt's establishment of the Institute of Islamic Studies in Madrid in the middle of the 20th century which was inaugurated by the great Egyptian intellectual, Dr. Taha Hussein. Spain has also been keen to teach the Arabic language in its universities and cultural institutes and to preserve the ancient Arab antiquities as a part of the history of the region. In this respect, in a significant gesture, Spain also participated in the rescue of the temples of Abu Simbel. The Egyptian temple in the heart of Madrid is a witness to Egypt's appreciation of this gesture which was made as a result of the strong relationship between the two peoples in the two states. A marked similarity between the Spanish and the Egyptian experiences promoted the strengthening of these relations. Since my last visit to Spain in 1985, the two countries have achieved remarkable progress in all fields, significant rise in economy and industry and great strides were made in improving industry, agriculture and services. Both countries worked to accommodate and develop advanced technology. Both countries had adopted identical stances towards combating terrorism and fanaticism. We look forward to benefiting from Spain's experience and the significant progress it has achieved in the these spheres, as well as others, in the last two decades, and to a wider cooperation between producers and industrialists in the two countries to the mutual benefit of both sides. We also look forward to turning to the relationship between us from one of cooperation to one of partnership with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations and to strengthen regional and other forms of cooperation that lead to wider vistas and a brighter future for our friendly nations. Thank you, your Majesty for your warm reception and the sincere and true feelings we felt since our arrival; and allow me dear friends to call on you to stand up as a salute to his Majesty King Juan Carlos and her Majesty Queen Sophia and the friendly Spanish people and to the strong ties between our two countries and peoples. |
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