Egypt to dig \\\'new Suez canal\\\' at cost of $4b

CAIRO, Aug 6 (AFP) : President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi launched Tuesday the construction of a $4 billion "new Suez Canal" that aims to speed up traffic along the existing waterway and boost Egypt's battered economy.

The project foresees the creation of one million jobs at a time when Egypt is struggling to recover from more than three years of political turmoil since the ouster of long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Sisi, accompanied by government ministers and army generals, set an ambitious target of digging the new canal, which would run parallel to the original Suez Canal built 145 years ago.

"No matter what it takes, this project must be finished in a year. That is what Egyptians expect," Sisi said at an inauguration ceremony in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya.

Officials said the new waterway would be funded by Egyptian and foreign investors.

Sisi said 500 million shares in the project would be offered to domestic investors at a rate of 100 Egyptian pounds (about 14 dollars, 11 euros) each, and $100 per share for expatriates.

The canal would be constructed by 17 private Egyptian companies under "the direct supervision" of the armed forces, said Sisi.

In a colourful ceremony broadcast live on state television, Sisi was accompanied by men, women and children as he blasted away a mound of sand symbolising the start of work on the canal.