Clearing Arab atmosphere, main target of Mubarak's tour
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak arrived in Tunisia today for talks with Tunisian President Zein Al-Abedine Ben Ali.
Mubarak-Ben Ali talks will center on the Arab solidarity, means of clearing the atmosphere before the coming Arab Summit in Amman, the goings-on of peace process in the region and support of the Palestinian people.
The talks will also focus on the Arab-American ties and Egypt-Tunisia relations. The visit falls within the context of Arab consultations, aimed at probing the key issue of Middle East peace as well as cooperation between Africa and its northern neighbours and cooperation among Mediterranean states.
The timing of the visit is also extremely significant in the light of the developments the region is witnessing, especially the Palestinian issue and the current changes in Israel.
President Mubarak's current Arab diplomatic activities, the last being his visit to Oman, are interlined and aim at promoting the Palestinian cause on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and the principle of land for peace.
They also aim at Israel's withdrawal from the remaining part in South Lebanon and from the Golan Heights to the June 4, 1967 lines.
Mubarak's visit to Tunisia is also designed to promote Arab coordination and consultations on current problems in the region, in light of the new international developments, such as the coming of a new American Administration and the Israeli elections on Tuesday.
Mubarak and Ben Ali will further probe bilateral relations, especially in light of the convocation of the Egyptian-Tunisian Higher Committee meeting in the Tunisian capital on March 29-30.
A technical delegation under Egyptian Minister of Planning Ahmed El Darsh will arrive here prior to the visit of Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Atef Ebeid to prepare for the joint committee.
The committee is to examine cooperation in agricultural, industrial, security and exchange domains.
Egyptian Ambassador to Tunisia Mokhlis Qotb said that a number of agreements will be signed when the committee convenes, and these are tabled on the Mubarak-Ben Ali agenda.
The agreements to be signed are in the tourism, consular, environment, education, scientific research and higher education domains.
The two sides will also exchange views on cooperation with the EU within the framework of the partnership agreement. Tunis and the EU signed a partnership agreement in 1995.