Mubarak's talks with G-15 leaders focus on regional, international issues, ties
Egypt, Politics, 6/15/2000

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak will inaugurate the G-15 Summit in Cairo on Monday and will address the Summit's inaugural session.

The tenth G-15 Summit under President Hosni Mubarak is to coordinate and consult on the economic policies of the Group's Member States.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday as the preparatory meetings of this Summit begin, Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said the summit will address the positive aspect of globalization, ways of confronting its negative effects, exchange ideas on fighting economic challenges and the capabilities of developing countries in general and the G-15 in particular.

President Mubarak, in his capacity as the current president of the group, will convey to the advanced Group of Eight G-8 with the message of this summit, namely the need to promote dialogue between the G-8 and G-15, he added.

Egypt had conveyed this same message from the G-15 special summit in Cairo in May 1998, he said.

Since its inception, the G-15 has been confronted with difficult challenges, as the new international economic system unfolded and problems within the group itself started to emerge, Moussa said.

But the turbulence were overcome as many of its members tried to merge in the world system, he added.

The tenth Summit in Cairo will provide a great opportunity for two-way meetings between Mubarak and other leaders and heads of state on political issues of interest to the Group, Moussa added.

President Mubarak will contact the president of the G-8 after the Cairo Summit to inform him of the proposals and ideas of the G-15, the Foreign Minister.

The top diplomat stressed that the G-15 final statement would include the main ideas discussed during the meetings of the personal representatives of the Group's heads of state, trade ministers and foreign ministers that will be held before the Summit.

Moussa refers to the issue of indebtedness which faces the developing nations, the third world, especially with the African heaving-indebted poor countries (HIPCs), and counsels that the question be tackled and put top of the priorities of G-15.

He cited the Euro-African summit held recently in Cairo which put the problem on top of its agenda. He also noted the commitment shown by a great number of European industrial countries to tackle the issue either partly or completely.

Moussa was upbeat about cooperation among African countries to realize development through the participation of business people in the joint projects of the Group's members in particular and the developing countries in general.

The Foreign Minister concluded his statements with a note of hope that other countries, such as South Africa and Saudi Arabia, would join the G-15.

The Group's Summit is to be attended by the Heads of State of Algeria, Argentina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Senegal and Zimbabwe, the Vice Presidents of Brazil, India, Kenya, Peru and Venezuela, and the Foreign Ministers of Mexico and Sri Lanka.

Previous Stories:
  G-15 Summit boosts cooperation in trade, investment, technology   (6/12/2000)
  Economy, trade ministers of G-15 to gather in Cairo   (6/10/2000)
  Egypt getting ready to receive summit of G-15 group of countries   (5/25/2000)

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