Egypt refuses American request to minimize trade relations with Iraq
Egypt-Iraq, Politics, 12/13/2001

Egypt has refused an American request to minimize the volume of trade relations with Iraq and not to implement the free trade zone agreement signed by Cairo and Baghdad on January 18 when the Iraqi vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan visited Egypt.

The US foreign department secretary for the economy and agriculture affairs Allen Larsen has started a visit to Cairo and met with its prime minister Atif Ebeid and the foreign trade minister Youssef Boutrous Ghali and discussed both of them the future of Egyptian- American relations.

An Egyptian official source said that the government hurries the People's Assembly ( parliament) to ratify the trade agreement with Iraq, seeking to implement it by the end of the current year.

Egypt is considered the first Arab trade partner for Iraq and the third international trade partner after Russia and France.

The volume of trade contracts between Egypt and Iraq until the 10th phase of the memorandum of understanding reached USD 3.680 billion.

At the meantime, preparations are underway to hold the 4th session of the Egyptian production exposition in Baghdad which is organized by the exposition affairs commissions and the international markets to be held in March 2002.

Previous Stories:
  Maher: US use of power against Iraq will be a mistake   (12/1/2001)
  Mubarak receives Iraqi Envoy   (6/19/2001)
  Moussa, Sahaf exchange views on Amman summit's agenda   (3/14/2001)

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