Richard Spring MP
Member of Parliament for West Suffolk

There is an Egyptian delegation in town, led by the Speaker of their parliament, a significant figure in Egyptian politics. He told me that I looked like a film actor who played the role of a spy. Not James Bond I can safely assume.

Egypt, like Saudi Arabia, is a pivotal player in the Middle East. It is they who will seek to keep President Bush engaged in the peace process, post Annapolis. There will be no resolution of the Palestine-Israel conflict without U.S involvement, whatever some Europeans may think.

It is very difficult to understand the mindset of Hamas, who get their armaments smuggled in from Egyptian territory. Is it that Hamas do not want a settlement between Israel and Palestine? By lobbing rockets into Israel, it hardens Israeli public opinion, strengthens the views of those who fear a West Bank from which one day rockets may be launched into Israel. Yet Abu Mazen is clearly a credible figure to the Israelis, in contrast to Yasser Arafat. Are the rocket launches designed to get Israel to invade Gaza, thus stiffening the resolve of the inhabitants in favour of Hamas?

Meanwhile the former Saudi ambassador in London and adviser to King Abdullah, Prince Turki al-Faisal, gave an interview in Germany and said:

“The Arab world, by the Arab peace initiative, has crossed the Rubicon from hostility towards Israel to peace with Israel and has extended the hand of peace to Israel, and we await the Israelis picking up our hand and joining us in what inevitably will be beneficial for Israel and for the Arab world.”

“One can imagine not just economic, political and diplomatic relations between Arabs and Israelis but also issues of education, scientific research, combating mutual threats to the inhabitants of this vast geographic area.”

If indeed some political settlement can be reached, a whole series of investment projects from diverse countries including Turkey and Japan is in prospect on the West Bank.

President Bush has a clear hand in making this happen by keeping up the process, much encouraged by countries like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He should respond more positively to the overtures from Syria too.

American influence, and by extension ours, is much diminished in the region. Over many decades the cynics have been right to be both cynical and pessimistic. Something, however, Gaza notwithstanding, seems to be stirring in the undergrowth. We can only hope and pray it is for real this time.

After Xmas I found myself, like many thousands of others, in Luxor, which enjoys an exceptional winter climate, and of course has unique historical attractions.

There was some degree of excitement because President Sarkozy was very publicly there, visiting the sites with his new girlfriend.  A rather world weary French press pack was in attendance.  One night we dined at a kebab restaurant where the President had had lunch.  The restaurant manager suggested we came there for lunch the next day as Tony Blair was coming.  We did not take up his suggestion.  There were police outriders and ambulances much in attendance.  Ali Larijani, the Iranian former nuclear negotiator, was to be spotted too, with his entourage of officials – presumably he was not there to admire the Valley of the Kings.

Agatha Christie’s stay in Luxor inspired her to write Murder on the Nile.  The royal figures buried there were often depicted with cobras on their heads to protect them, not always successfully, from their enemies.  As Tony Blair surveyed these particular scenes of antiquity, I wondered what went through his mind.  The thought so amused me that I brought a brass cobra doorstop as a souvenir of the visit.

Parliament resumes today, so does blogging.  Happy 2008; I suspect it will be a very interesting year in British politics.  And perhaps I should send the doorstop to Gordon …….

Each regional chairman of Conservative Business Relations initiates activities in their patch. Two nights ago it was a reception in the Egyptian Embassy, at the behest of the London CBR chairman Paul Shea.

Sayeeda Warsi, just off the plane from Khartoum spoke, as well as John Redwood, and of course the ambassador. It was a hugely well attended event, with a tremendous atmosphere. Already we have had receptions in the Pakistani, Indian and Canadian High Commissions. There are always business people present who have links to the respective countries.

Egypt has liberalised its economy; the UK is the biggest non-Arab investor there. The Egyptian Government has set up nine public free zones in an attempt to attract more foreign capital. These zones provide business with a protected status which reduces the risk associated with the investment.

Business people survey the deteriorating state of the British economy, the incompetence of the Government, and want increasingly to be associated with the Conservatives. We, in turn, want to listen to them, and are doing so in a professional and targeted way. CBR is booming.