Egypt has rejected an offer from the Jordanian government to help secure the gas pipeline which exports Egyptian natural gas to Jordan, according to a statement from Jordanian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Rakan al-Majali on Saturday.
Majali, who is also spokesperson for the government, told al-Ghad, an independent Jordanian daily, that the offer included the installation of surveillance cameras and the deployment of trained security units.
He added that Egypt said it has the ability and competence to prevent further blasts along the pipeline.
He added that Jordan is understanding of Egypt’s refusal to accept the offer, which he described as “brotherly”, and not intended to reflect any security advantage on Jordan’s part.
Majali said that all Jordan wants is to assist the continued flow of gas supplies, adding that he does not consider the offer to be interference in Egyptian affairs, but only a desire to help, since Jordan has been harmed by the repeated attacks on the pipeline.
“The cut in gas supplies every now and then is a problem for us…it is disrupting,” he said.
The gas pipeline, which supplies Jordan and Israel, was blown up ten times in 2011, even though Egyptian authorities announced the adoption of tight security measures to secure the line. No one entity has declared responsibility for the attacks.
Egypt is supplying Israel with natural gas in conformance with an agreement signed under ex-President Hosni Mubarak. The agreement has recently come under fire because Egypt supplies the gas to Israel at a price lower than international rates.
Israel imports 43 percent of its gas needs from Egypt and produces 40 percent of its electricity from this gas. Jordan imports 80 percent of its gas needs from Egypt to generate electricity.
Sinai is an unstable region, affected by tensions between security forces and some Bedouin tribes. Underground tunnels in Sinai are used to smuggle goods and weapons across the border into Gaza. Israel claims that some tunnels are used to launch attacks on Israel.
