7eNews:
Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal General Authority, said, “The Suez Canal will continue to enjoy absolute Egyptian sovereignty, in both its political and economic aspects,” and this came during a press conference held yesterday evening, Thursday.
Lieutenant General Rabie also added that “the Suez Canal belongs to the Egyptians and there is no prejudice to the authority’s assets in accordance with the constitution, stressing that there is no truth to what has been raised about the sale or lease of the Suez Canal or its assets.”
Lieutenant General Rabie was keen to clarify a set of facts related to the draft law of the Suez Canal Fund, which has raised a lot of controversy recently.
#قناة_السويس_شريان_الحياة pic.twitter.com/K6vLF3XID2
— هيئة قناة السويس Suez Canal Authority (@SuezAuthorityEG) December 22, 2022
Admiral Rabie stressed the commitment of the Suez Canal Authority to what was stipulated in Article 43 of the Egyptian constitution to guarantee Egyptian sovereignty over the canal.
This article stipulates that “the state is committed to protecting, developing and preserving the Suez Canal in its capacity as an international waterway owned by it.”
“The state is also committed to developing the canal sector as a distinguished economic center.”
Lieutenant General Rabie explained that the management of the fund is independent and has nothing to do with the channel’s assets, budget or projects.
Lieutenant General Rabie stressed that the channel’s revenues will not be deducted in favor of the fund’s resources, but rather the fund will depend on the surplus of the budget allocated to the authority.
Admiral Rabie sent a message of reassurance regarding the canal’s navigation statistics during the 2022 Gregorian year.
He pointed out that the Suez Canal is expected to record new and unprecedented records throughout the history of the canal.
This is to achieve the highest annual transit rate for passing ships, with 23,869 ships crossing.