Moussa heads tomorrow to Portuguese capital

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa is heading tomorrow to the Portuguese capital Lisbon leading an Egyptian delegation that will participate in meetings of the foreign ministers of the Barcelona declaration. Portugal is currently heading the European Union.

The European-Mediterranean Partnership was launched in Barcelona, Spain in 1995 with the aim of fostering political, economic and cultural ties between the 15 EU member states and 12 southern and eastern Mediterranean countries.

The Barcelona process aimed to establish a Euro-Mediterranean free-trade area by the year 2010. The EU has already concluded association agreements on trade, political dialogue and cooperation withseveral member countries.

The foreign ministers of 27 countries - members in Barcelona process - are participating in these meetings . They include countries of the European union in addition to Egypt, Tunis, Algerian, Morocco, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian authority, Jordan, Cyprus, Malta, Turkey, Israel.

Libya who has not yet joined is participating as a guest of the Portuguese presidentship.

Diplomatic sources in Cairo said that the Egyptian delegation will raise Egypt's vision on the future of the Barcelona process and means of the European - Mediterranean cooperation in addition to reviewing the past 5 years of cooperation under this agreement when this process started.