[Filed with Secretary of State September 21, 1999]

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 41--Relative to a sister state relationship with the Governorate of Cairo, Egypt

WHEREAS, Egypt is an important Arab ally for the United States, being the first to support peace talks with Israel and continuing a policy of shared interest in peaceful resolutions to international disputes; and
WHEREAS, Cairo is both the largest city in Africa and the highest populated governorate in Egypt, and both the State of California and the Governorate of Cairo serve as major commercial, industrial, financial, educational, tourist, and entertainment centers of their respective countries; and

WHEREAS, In addition to being the commercial, industrial, and financial center, Cairo is also the manufacturing and communications center of Egypt. Due to major reform policies, Cairo's economy is rapidly growing with a 1998 gross domestic product estimated at approximately $81.4 billion. Cairo's thriving, emerging market would promote mutually beneficial and stable trade with a sister state; and

WHEREAS, A sister state relationship would facilitate the exchange of environmental knowledge, especially in the field of waste management, an area in which Cairo was praised for its activities by the 1994 United Nations Population Conference; and

WHEREAS, Much like California, Cairo is a prestigious center of higher learning, ranking second among the Egyptian governorates in education. Al-Azhar University, located in Cairo, is one of the world's major centers of Islamic studies; and

WHEREAS, Having a rich culture, Cairo's tourist attractions include traditional Islamic sites, the Egyptian Museum, which contains more than 1,700 pieces from the collection of the ancient pharaoh Tutankhamen, the statue of the Great Sphinx, and the Pyramids of Giza, which are the only surviving examples of the Seven Wonders. These attractions would enhance cultural exchanges between the two regions; and

WHEREAS, With a majority of the population working within the agricultural sector, Cairo is the leading producer of textiles, electronic products, automobiles, and dairy products in the nation, sharing many similar industries with California; and

WHEREAS, Both the State of California and the Governorate of Cairo share diverse geographies. Cairo has fertile farmland along the famous Nile River and desert in the southeast regions. Furthermore, with Mediterranean climates, the two regions have two main seasons: winter and summer and have periodic seismic activity; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature, on behalf of the people of the State of California, hereby extends an invitation to the people of the Governorate of Cairo, Egypt, to join with California in a sister state relationship in order to encourage and facilitate mutually beneficial, social, economic, educational, and cultural exchanges that would lead to an indelible and lasting relationship between the residents of California and Cairo; and be it further

Resolved That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the Consul General of Egypt, to the Governorate of Cairo, Egypt, to the Governor of California, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.