Mubarak, Lahoud hold talks

President Hosni Mubarak today receives Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, who arrives in Egypt today from Iran at the end of a Gulf tour which took him to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar and Bahrain.

Lahoud will have important talks with President Mubarak on the latest developments of the peace process and Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon.

Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said talks between the two leaders will tackle bilateral relations, indicating that Joint Higher Egyptian-Lebanese Committee is following reactivation of bilateral relations and implementation of economic agreements signed by both countries.

Meantime, George Karam, Lebanese Minister of Finance, said talks between Mubarak and Lahoud would tackle ways of providing protection for Lebanon to deter any Israeli attacks and the procedures necessary for preventing Israel from capitalizing Security Council resolutions 425 and 426 in weakening the Lebanese and Syrian stances in the peace negotiations.

Solaiman Al-Tarabolsy, Lebanese Minister of Water Resources and Electricity, said Lahoud's visit to Egypt comes in appreciation of President Mubarak's visit to Beirut last February and in recognition of Egypt's efforts to rehabilitate power stations which were demolished by Israel in Lebanon.

Meantime, an Egyptian diplomatic source Wednesday described the summit to be held between President Hosni Mubarak and Lebanese President Emile Lahoud on Thursday as an important meeting. The summit, according to the source, is part of Egypt's cooperation with the regional and international parties to achieve just peace and settlement in the Middle East.

Lahoud's two-day visit to Egypt and his meeting with Mubarak is part of a series of meetings held in Cairo, an Egyptian statement said.