Verbal message from Mubarak to Ethiopian President

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sent a verbal message to Ethiopian President Girma Giorgius that dealt with means of boosting the Egyptian-Ethiopian relations.

The message was conveyed by Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher who arrived in Addis Ababa on Thursday to lead Egypt's delegation to the 75th session of the Ministerial Council of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which will wind up on Friday.

Maher said that the 75th meeting of the Ministerial Council of the OAU is an important and historical occasion in view of the vistas it will open for pan-African action.

In statements to the reporters accompanying him on arriving in the Ethiopian capital, Maher said the meeting comes amidst complex African and international circumstances.

The economic repercussions of the September 11 attacks will figure high on the agenda of the talks as they have aggravated the already chronic problems under which Africa has been groaning, said Maher.

There are African disputes, some of which on their way to be settled and others are still too complicated to be solved, said Maher, noting that the meeting would discuss these problems.

Africa traditionally is pro-Arab situation in the Middle east, especially in African fellows on the current situation in the Middle East, especially in light of the brutal Israeli aggression against Palestinians," said Maher.

On the transformation of the OAU into the African Union, Maher said organizations usually grow and mature and the OAU is one of these groupings.

The OAU achieved a lot and acted as part of the African people's conscience, he said. However, the transformation process is not that easy as there are still many pending issues that have not yet been resolved, he added.

There might be some delay in implementing "our presidents' directives, but work is in full swing to forge the necessary mechanisms and build the union's institutions to render it effective," said Maher.

Commenting on the Security Council resolution 1397, Maher said that the UN Security Council resolution is the first UN document endorsing the establishment of a Palestinian state and even putting it on an equal footing with Israel, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said Thursday.

The first outstanding thing about the resolution is that, after it had long opposed any discussion on Mideast-related issues at the Security Council, Washington did not only endorse the resolution, but it also formalized it, Maher said.

The resolution shows great impatience with the continuous Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people, even though it is not explicit, the Minister said.

Maher said he believes such impatience will be the prologue to more just and effective attitudes by the US towards Mideast conflict.

On whether the resolution would be implemented by Israel which did not abide by many previous resolutions, Maher said Israel was challenging the world, and the resolution meant the world was ready to face up to the challenge.

Emerging from talks with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyom Mesfin, Maher said adding that he will hold consultations with Sudan in this regard.

He said he had agreed with Mesfin on promoting trade cooperation and giving a chance to the Egyptian companies to operate in Ethiopia in fields of contracting and construction materials.

On unifying the Egyptian-Libyan initiative with that of Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Maher said merging the two initiatives was not possible.

On the Palestinian issue, Maher said he explained to Mesfin the inconsistencies of Israeli government's policies.

Two days ago, the Israeli government said it wanted to calm the situation but at the same time it stormed the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ram Allah.

Maher expressed satisfaction over the resumption of American efforts and the return of US Mideast peace envoy Anthony Zinni. He added that his talks with Mesfin had covered Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdel Aziz's initiative on Mideast peace process.

Maher has stressed that Ethiopia could play an important role in Africa, generally, and in Nile Basin region particularly, which is important to Egypt since it belongs to the Egyptian national security.

Mesfin, on his part, expressed Ethiopia's support to President Hosni Mubarak's efforts in the region and hope that the Mideast conflict will be settled in a way that could guarantee the Palestinian rights and security and stability in the region.