Peoples Daily Online, China

Mubarak, Zoellick discuss regional issues, bilateral relations

15 July 2005

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held talks Thursday with visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick on regional issues and bilateral relations, the official MENA news agency reported.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Zoellick said he conveyed condolences to Mubarak over the death of Egypt’s envoy to Iraq Ihab el-Sharif who was killed last Thursday.

On the question of multinational forces’ withdrawal from Iraq, Zoellick said training of Iraqi forces is underway and the US forces still have jobs to do in Iraq.

On the delay in Egypt-US Free Trade Area (FTA) talks, the US official said he did not know of any delay in the talks.

Egypt is a priority for the US FTAs, he stressed.

Zoellick arrived in Cairo late Tuesday as the last leg of a regional tour that has already taken him to Sudan, Jordan and Iraq.

During his stay in Egypt, Zoellick also met with Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations.

Source: Xinhua