Washington to reactivate dialogue with Egypt over economic file
Edward Walker, the Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs said President George Bush would reiterate to President Mubarak the US Administration's willingness to reactivate and to expand strategic dialogue between Egypt and the United States to include economic file and to include Washington's participatation in reactivating development efforts in Egypt besides the strategic military and political files.
Walker said in a dialogue with Al Ahram that the US Administration would discuss all these files with Foreign Minister Amr Moussa in the context of preparations for the summit talks between the two leaders.
He said President Bush's interest in Mubarak's visit and their talk's aims at laying down a new formula for relations between the two countries, to maintain strategic dialogue and to fill the vacuum left by the end of Mubarak-Gore initiative as well as to find a better formula for enhancing bilateral relations.
The US official expected that peace efforts would be given priority in talks between Presidents Mubarak and Bush.
He stressed the importance of Egypt's role as a regional power and President Mubarak's leading role.
He said President Bush administration rejects the expansion of settlements and building on Abu Ghneim Mountain.
He added that the United States is not willing to enter into an agreement that negatively reflects on Egypt's economy or affect elements of economic reform.
Answering a question on the agenda of the Egyptian-US summit, he said he expects that talks would include all fundamental problems facing Palestinians and the impact of economic siege.
He said President Bush was eager to listen to PresidentMubarak's visualization of developments in Iraq.
He said President Bush is interested in reactivating strategic dialogue between Egypt and the United States and should not be restricted to peace efforts in the Middle East and that relations between the two countries should not be affected by external factors.
He said the US administration expects that the next Arab Summit would positively respond to US proposals for easing down sanctions against the Iraqi people.