Kurtzer:Mubarak exerts great efforts to advance ME peace

US Ambassador in Cairo Daniel Kurtzer said President Hosni Mubarak is exerting great efforts to promote the Middle East peace process, referring to the President's recent talks with the Syrian and Palestinian leaders.

Kurtzer said he met the President Saturday to brief him on the discussions he had in the US on the Middle East peace process.

His meeting with Mubarak, he added, comes within the context of Egyptian-American consultations held along the past 20 years to realize peace.

On the visit by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the Middle East, Kurtzer said Albright was now in Davos for the World Economic Forum meetings.

"She will leave Davos for Moscow to attend the multilateral talks," he said, adding that the date for Albright`s tour of the Region will be set after her Moscow visit.

"The State Department announced on Friday that Dennis Ross, the US Middle East Peace Coordinator, will visit the Middle East immediately after the multilateral talks in Moscow," he said.

"After Ross concludes his contacts in the Region, Albright will decide on respective future steps," he added.

It is noteworthy that Foreign Minister Amr Moussa will attend the Moscow talks.