Sources inform “Globes” that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will visit Israel at the head of a delegation of Jewish Californian businesspeople. Former Packard Bell president Beny Alagem and Saban Entertainment president Haim Saban will also participate. Saban recently acquired Germany's KirchMedia.
The visit by the Hollywood actor and recently elected as governor will topuch on economic issues. A group of Israeli companies active in California, or which have pending plans to do so, recently asked Israelis representatives to personally handle relations with Governor Schwarzenegger's office.
Schwarzenegger will meet representatives of the Israeli companies at a business reception upon his arrival. Mercury Interactive Corporation (Nasdaq: MERQ) and Zoran (Nasdaq: ZRAN) are the most prominent high-tech Israeli companies operating in California.
Schwarzenegger will also meet representatives of Ormat Industries (TASE:ORMT) and Solel Solar Systems, which builds power stations, and agricultural equipment manufacturers Netafim, Dorot Automatic Control Valves, and Amiad Filtration Systems. These companies are bidding in government tenders, and connections with California governor's office might help them.
The economic delegation is also designed to tighten economic and trade relations between Israel and California, and to increase reciprocal investments between high-tech and industrial companies based in the two areas.
A senior source in an Israeli Consulate in California told "Globes" that Schwarzenegger was due to visit Israel for the opening of the Simon Weisenthal Museum in Jerusalem. However, it was decided to exploit Schwarzenegger's great interest in economic affairs to develop economic ties during the visit. Another business delegation expected to visit Israel next week is from Romania, headed by President Ion Iliescu and Mininster of Economy and Trade Dan Ioan Popescu. The Romanian government wishes to strengthen economic cooperation with Israel.
Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute chairman Shraga Brosh said today that the delegation would be in Israel for two days, during which the delegates would attend a business seminar on investment opportunities in Israel, and on opportunities for cooperation between Romanian and Israeli companies.
Brosh noted that Israeli exports to Romania, excluding diamonds, grew 13% to $107 million in 2003. Israeli exports to Romania consist mostly of machinery and telecommunications equipment. Imports from Romania, which consisted mostly of machinery, mechanical devices, and simple metals, were up 4%.
For the first time since the intifada, a business French delegation will visit Israel, headed by French Minister of Industry Nicole Fontaine.
Manufacturers Association of Israel president Oded Tyrah, who is hosting the French delegation, called on the government to grant priority in infrastructure tenders to French companies setting up consortia with Israel companies and purchasing inputs in Israel. He predicted that granting this priority would create 20,000 new jobs, and lead to more rapid growth.
The visit by the delegation, which includes representatives of eight giant French infrastructure companies, follows a visit to Paris last month by an Israeli delegation headed by Tyrah, which accompanied President Moshe Katsav on his state visit to France.
The French delegation will include, among others, senior representatives of Alstom (NYSE, LSE, XETRA: ALS), Gaz de France, Suez Environment, Alcatel Espace, and MEMSCAP. Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on March 14, 2004