Tiran and Sanafir Islands for Selling or for National Security

Last Thursday and for five-days, King Salman Bin Abdel Aziz of Saudi Arabia visited Egypt for mutual cooperation between Egypt and his country in different fields of development. On the investment side, the CEO of Saudi Egyptian Construction Company (SECON), Darwish Hassanin declared that about 40 percent of the projects in the New Cairo Capital like residential apartments, commercial services, sports club and green areas will be built on 86 acres by the second quarter of this year (Daily News, SECON CEO). And another project Riyadh SECON will contribute is the New Assiut media city that will raise the wages of media earners. A total of 17 agreements are signed during this bilateral deals’ visit.      

On the other hand, building a new bridge between Egyptian lands and Saudi Arabia using Tiran and Sanafir islands opened new discussions and retrieved back the history of Sykes-Pico Agreement between Britain and France of Israel. The Sykes-Pico Agreement was secretly signed after World War I between Britain and French government to determine the controlled partitions of Ottoman Empire to both powers in 1916 (Jewish Virtual Library). This two islands were under the international control of the two powers and the Arabs.   

From this point, according to Egypt Independent “official sources reports that the Egyptian President, El-Sisi proposed that the bridge to be named The King Salman and Sykes-Pico Bridge (Egypt Independent, bridge). “The 23 kilometer-long bridge will start at Egypt’s Red Sea Island of Tiran then to Ras AlSheikh Hamid in Saudi Arabia via Sanafir Island on the Red Sea” (TheCairo Post). This bridge will join the two countries by road and even the two contents Asia and Africa over water. This opens another discussion about the changing of geographical borders that are designed before in Sykes-Pico Agreement and by uniting the Arab countries away from the foreign control nor the Israeli intimidations.   

Analysts reached a point of the proposed bridge is more likely touching the Israeli national affairs more than Egyptians or Saudi Arabian, because building this bridge will push the Egyptian national security to control the passing of Israeli ships in the Red Sea as it’s their only shipping lane. Today’s feed from different social network websites put another explanation for that “According to Balfour Declaration, Egypt don’t have the authority to put their army on this passing lane,” and fortunately building this bridge will give Egypt the right for military presence. This right will end the last item in 1978 Camp David Accords (Hammouda, Facebook). Hammouda added that there can be another straight line way “via Aqaba bay” to build the bridge, however passing by Tiran Island will make the bridge not a hanging one and this will give Egypt the right to put their security in this place to protect its vital area of national security.       

So, the issue of Egyptian ownership or sovereignty of these two islands is solved, because many give and takes between Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel - referring to Sykes-Pico 1916 Agreement, Balfour 1917 Declaration, and Camp David 1978 Accords – will be ended. And a powerful strategic control will be given to Egypt for saving its vital area of national security. Also the question of; the agreement of Saudi Arabia to build this bridge is simply because their whole country is under the vital area of Egyptian national security as located on the Egyptian territorial water.
“Working will begin by the mid of next year 2013 with budget of three Billion Dollars to build 50 kilometer bridge connecting between Aqaba bay and Tabuk” (El-Watan). This project was entrusted to the Egyptian minister of transportation, Gala Said, ten years ago and recommended by Major General Sameh Seif El Yazal, the Security and strategic expert, to easy the trading between two continents. Adding that passengers will take 20 minutes only in this trip.

                                                  Facebook Page: Alaa Hammouda