Cairo- US President Donald Trump has sparked widespread controversy and condemnation in Egypt after his demand for the passage of American commercial and war ships through the Suez channels and Panama without paying transit fees, and experts and specialists considered it a violation of international agreements and an intensification of Egyptian sovereignty.
The Suez Canal is one of the most prominent economic sources on which Egypt relies and constitutes an important part of the state’s revenues. Despite the decrease in its revenues in the past fiscal year to 7.2 billion dollars, compared to 9.4 billion dollars in the previous year, the real income was close to the financial goals prescribed thanks to the rise in the exchange rate of the dollar against the Egyptian pound.
The Suez Canal contributes to the global maritime trade movement ranging from 12% to 15%, while American trade through the channel represents only 3% of the total international maritime trade. But on the other hand, about 40% of the American trade is passed through Panama.
American ships
A special source revealed to Al -Jazeera Net that American ships constitute between 10% to 20% of the total ships that cross the Suez Canal annually.
The source added that these ships pay fees ranging between 400 thousand and 700 thousand dollars for each ship. If Trump’s demands are approved for free American ships, this will lead to great financial losses to Egypt, given the volume of returns that they earn from the passage of ships through the channel.
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Sovereign
For his part, the head of the company “Zenith Enterprise”, the captain, Amr Qattaya, confirmed in statements to Al -Jazeera Net, that the Suez Canal is an Egyptian sovereign facility, and that all ships, including American ships, are subject to Egyptian laws and are committed to paying the prescribed fees.
Qattaya categorically rejected any attempt to impose special exemptions on American ships, stressing that Trump’s statements could not affect Egyptian sovereignty on the channel.
Qattaya said that the Egyptian laws, headed by the President’s Decision No. 30 of 1957, do not allow the passage of any ship through the channel without paying the specified fees. He added that the determination of the fees is based on ship loads, and this includes both commercial ships and warships.
Violation of international rules
For his part, Professor of Political Science, Dr. Hassan Salama, stressed that the demands of Trump over the passage of American ships without paying fees that violate the internationally agreed rules in regulating traffic through the Suez Canal, which is an international watery corridor located within the Egyptian territories.
Salama explained to Al -Jazeera Net that the channel is subject to a strict Egyptian legal system that clearly defines the fees, and no country, including the United States, may manipulate or infringe on these laws.
Salama added that the United States had no historical link to the establishment of the Suez Canal, unlike the Panama channel, as it had a prominent role in its inauguration. Hence, there is no justification for her claims to obtain special privileges in the Egyptian channel.
Political extortion
In the opinion of Dr. Hassan Salama, what Trump demands is a kind of “political extortion” and an attempt to pressure a sovereign state to obtain illegal privileges.
He believed that these statements come within the framework of the US policy that adopts strict positions against some international parties under the justifications for protecting freedom of navigation, which contradicts the basic principles that govern international laws.
Salama stressed that Trump’s demands aim to impose pressure on Egypt, especially in light of the ongoing political tensions in the region. He considered that these statements do not reflect respect for any international law, but rather show a “political bullying” aimed at imposing the interests of the United States at the expense of other countries.
Egypt’s legal position
On the other hand, the professor of international law, Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud Mahran, stressed that what Trump stated contradicts the international agreements regulating the navigation movement in the Suez Canal.
Mahran explained that the “Constantinople Convention” of 1888 gives Egypt the right to impose fair and equal fees on all countries without any discrimination, which confirms Egypt’s right to determine the fees in accordance with the laws it sets.
Mahran pointed out that the Suez Canal is not just an international waterway, but rather an integral part of the Egyptian lands, and therefore sovereignty over it is an Egyptian right, and no country may interfere in determining the fees imposed on transit ships.
He added that the collection of fees requires their payment at the time of crossing each ship according to its carivity and type, noting that Egypt provides many services such as maintenance, insurance and maritime guidance that require continuous financing.
