Courcy’s Intelligence Brief

*** Questioning Camp David.  On 13 September, Mohammed Esmat Seif Al-Dawla, an aide to Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi, said that the Camp David treaty with Israel must be amended so that Egypt can achieve complete control over the Sinai Peninsula.  He said: “The peace agreement with Israel does not allow protection of the Sinai.”

*** China targeting Nicaragua.  On 13 September the heads of Nicaragua’s telecommunications institute (Telcor) and the state investment promotion agency (ProNicaragua) announced that a deal was being negotiated with China’s Great Wall Industry Corporation to build a satellite, Nicasat-1.  If constructed, Nicaragua would be the first country in Central America to have its own satellite.

The announcement follows a recent visit by a Chinese trade delegation, which also yielded the promise of Chinese cooperation for the construction of an inter-oceanic canal, a project approved by Nicaragua’s congress in July.  Both promises serve as the latest sign that, despite the fact that Nicaragua has, along with its Central American neighbours (bar Costa Rica), yet to switch its diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China, trade and investment cooperation with Beijing continues to strengthen.

*** China purports to see “evil trend” in Japan.  Amidst the escalating crisis between China and Japan over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, China believes it can discern the influence of growing right-wing forces in Japan.

Speaking on 14 September, China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said of the Japanese government’s nationalization of the islands: “The so-called purchase of the Diaoyu Islands is not happenstance but the result of changes in Japan’s domestic political climate.  There is an evil trend in Japan that is leading the country and China-Japan relations toward an extremely dangerous situation.”

Le says that the change has been exacerbated by Japan’s economic slowdown and the instability caused by last year’s earthquake.  According to the Xinhua news agency he said that “neighbouring countries and around the world” have to be warned that Japan “is moving toward the far right”.

Le said: “The evil trend has had a strong showing in bilateral relations.  There are people who are unwilling to accept China’s development.  They seek ways to make trouble for China and cause disturbances in bilateral relations.  The Diaoyu Islands issue has become and excuse for them to damage bilateral relations.”