BUSINESS
Beautiful,
Sophisticated
Kitchens
W
n High-gloss Lacquers
and
Exotic Woods.
Also Featuring
Beautiful lacquered
Motorized Wall Units
World Class
-
Showroom at 316 S. Telegraph,
mile north of Orchard Lake Rd.
1 /2
683-5070
.....
- ,
;UCH
M 1
AUTO
HOME
multi-car
save 15%
AARP member
save 18%
over 55 years old save 10%
clean record
save 20%
(last 3 years)
• safety
• non-smoker
• Over 50 (AARP)
save 9%
save 10%
save 39%
you save 58%
you save 63 Wo
FOR MORE INFO — OR A FREE QUOTE
Michael Mostyn
Marc Tamassi
Call
471-0970
Do It At
AMBER HQ
Tell your house-bound spouse to
sublet a carrel/study or atelier at
AMBER HQ, 4000 Crooks, Royal
Oak. Sans lease.
$1.95-a-day provides lightly-
shared eclectically-furnished en-
vironment amongst cerebral
peers. $3.95 a day for private
chamber.
Dialogue with Pedant•in•Residence
Amber 851.7776 days or nights.
MICHIGAN FURNITURE RESTORATION
Owner: Samuel David Burwell
Griffin-Smalley, Inc.
INSURANCE AND BONDS
An Antique Is A Memory .. .
And One That Should Last Forever!
Call:
399-1104
1316 N. Edison • Royal Oak
Maxie Collision, Inc.
3 25 81 Northwestern Highway, Farmington Hills, MI 48018
(313) 737-7122
54
FRIDAY,
11: •9t)
We are winning.
AMERICAN
CANCER
SOCIETY'
JOEL BAINERMAN
Special to The Jewish News
from around
the world!
CABINETS
What Good Is Peace
Without Trade?
—
hile not a single
Egyptian or Israeli
soldier has been
killed on their mutual
borders since the Camp David
accords were signed almost 11
years ago, a major casualty
has been commercial ties bet-
ween the two nations.
If export of Egyptian oil is
excluded, total annual trade
between the two Middle East
countries amounts to a
dismal $8 million.
According to Josef Shvo,
who has served as the Israeli
commercial attache in Cairo
since 1986, the blame rests
squarely with Egypt. They
have made an unofficial
policy of restricting trade
with Israel, other than of
course its oil exports.
"Egypt wants the best of
both worlds," he says. "It
desires peace with Israel
which reduces its military
spending and brings in
billions of U.S. aid dollars,
while at the same time it
boycotts trade with Israel to
win favor from the Arab
world. If one speaks of
economic and commercial ties
as a yardstick for the quality
of a peace treaty, ours with
Egypt was never given a
chance."
As part of the Camp David
agreement, Israel consented
to return the Sinai Desert to
Egypt, including the oil sites
it had developed. The Egyp-
tian government did not want
to export its oil directly to
Israel, so former President
Jimmy Carter suggested it be
done through a U.S. company.
Israel refused.
Egypt exports 2 million
tons of oil to Israel worth ap-
proximately $250 million a
year. Israel imports more
than 50 percent of its oil
needs from Egypt, comprising
25 percent of Egyptian oil
exports.
Shvo says that since 75 per-
cent of the Egyptian economy
is controlled by its govern-
ment, which has essentially
decided to boycott Israeli
traders, the majority of the
Egyptian market is off limits
to Israel.
Tremendous obstacles
stand before Israeli com-
panies seeking commercial
ties with Egypt's private sec-
tor. Shvo estimates that there
are not more than ten private
Joel Bainerman is a Jerusalem-
based writer on Israeli economic
affairs.
Egyptian businessmen who
have even visited Israel, and
even fewer who have actual-
ly successfully concluded
business with the Jewish
state.
Oftentimes deals fall
through because Egyptian
visas for Israeli businessmen
are refused without reason.
Another major obstacle is
that Israel is the only country
from which permission from
the Egyptian Ministry of
Defense is required to import
civilian products. Egyptian
businessmen expressing in-
terest in marketing Israeli
products have their name
published on "spy lists" in the
opposition newspapers.
In 1987, a substantial
business deal almost went
through. Koor, Israel's largest
conglomerate, won a govern-
ment tender to sell $500,000
worth of insecticides to
Egypt's Ministry of
Agriculture. When the Israeli
company won the contract the
Egyptians demanded to
receive the products first, and
then pay for them at a later
date. Koor agreed and asked
them to open a line of credit
, to guarantee payment. The
Egyptians refused.
In 1987, Egypt rebuffed an
offer initiated by Israel for a
$5 million research project in
the field of solar energy,
which was to be financed by
the U.S. government.
In the same year, Shvo tried
to participate in an interna-
tional trade fair in Cairo but
the Egyptian economics
minister never replied to his
requests. Last year, he final-
ly received a permit. After
preparing a stand, he was told
by the head of the exhibition
that "it didn't meet the pro-
per criteria."
"We have little choice but to
accept the prevailing attitude
of the Egyptians," Shvo says.
"However the West should
understand that Egypt's con-
tentions that the dispute over
Taba and Israeli policies on
the West Bank are the reason
they are holding back nor-
malization, is a red herring.
The essence of commercial
and economic relations bet-
ween Egypt and Israel, and
hence the future of the peace
treaty, rests on Egypt's need
to be part of the Arab world.
The fact that they prefer good
relations with the Arab world
in lieu of trade with Israel is
something Israel must learn
to live with."
While Egypt prohibits trade
with Israel, it looks the other
way when Israeli products are