Mubarak's Lebanon visit, important

"President Hosni Mubarak's visit to Lebanon has a political significance and is regarded as a bold development in the Egyptian stance as Egypt has a weight at the Arab and international levels," Egyptian People's Assembly Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sorour told the Egyptian Community on Thursday.

"The visit also showed Egypt's full support for Lebanon, condemnation of Israel's air strikes on it and readiness to contribute to the reconstruction of Lebanese facilities devastated by Israeli aggression," Sorour said.

"The visit also served as a message addressed to the World Community indicating that Egypt stands by Lebanon, strongly denounces violence and at the same time seeks the achievement of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East," he pointed out.

Speaking of the Upper Egyptian village of Kosheh incidents and rumors circulated that Christians in Egypt are treated differently from Muslims, Sorour accentuated that national unity in Egypt is strong and sound and events which take place on and off do not mean that there is a discrimination between Muslims and Christians in Egypt.

"President Mubarak ordered a swift investigation of Kosheh incidents and the Egyptian prosecutor general personally went to the village and criminals will be brought to justice," he said.

Sorour said the political role of Egypt in the Middle East peace is important to make a fair and all-out peace.

"The Egyptian position on Lebanon reflects its international and Arab weight," he said.

"Although Egypt was the first to sign a peace agreement with Israel and normalize relations with it, nobody can force the Egyptian people to normalize relations with it," he added.

Sorour affirmed that what peoples want is peace and stability and they should advance some kind of cooperation.