Egypt to participate in OSCE meeting

Egypt will participate in the ninth meeting of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), due in Bucharest on December 3-4.

Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs Mohammad Shaban will lead Egypt's delegation on behalf of Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher.

"The conference will address ways to enhance security and stability in Europe," the diplomat said.

He expected participants to also discuss an action plan on terrorism-combat.

Egypt is enjoying an observer status in the 55-member organization.

Ambassador Ibrahim Ali Hassan, Advisor to the Foreign Minister for African Affairs, left Cairo for Tokyo Friday leading Egypt's delegation to a ministerial meeting on Africa due to start there on Monday and run for two days.

Ambassador Hassan said before leaving Cairo that 53 states will take part with donor community and international and regional organizations in the Ministerial meeting for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD III).

He added that the meeting will discuss a number of issues including security and stability in Africa, setting up a fund for fighting AIDS, agricultural development and the democracy process.

He said that the meeting is a preparatory one for the summit that Tokyo will host in 2003.

He added that Egypt will present an important file on South-South cooperation.

TICAD is sponsored by Japan, the UN, the World Bank and Global Coalition for Africa (GCA).

Japan launched the TICAD process in 1993 with a summit meeting that year, followed in 1998 by a second conference, referred to as TICAD II.

The TICAD ministerial meeting scheduled for December 3-4 in Tokyo is meant to prepare for TICAD III.