Cheney voices appreciation of Mubarak's role in establishing Middle East peace

US Vice-President Dick Cheney voiced great appreciation of the positive role played by Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak in establishing peace and stability in the Middle East.

Head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt Mohamed Mansour Tuesday said that during his recent meeting at the White House with a ten-member delegation of the chamber, Cheney expressed appreciation of the continued attempts by Egyptian diplomacy to end the Palestinian -Israeli conflict and stem the bloodshed.

Cheney showed understanding of the importance of the U.S. aid to Egypt in the economic and military fields, pointing out that the U.S. administration does not favour calls for decreasing the annual military aid to Egypt, Mansour added.

During the meeting, which lasted 40 minutes instead of 20, Cheney listened with keenness to the Egyptian private sector's views regarding the negative impact of the deteriorating situation in the Middle East on the political and economic fields, he added.

The chamber's delegation submitted a report on the negative effects of Israel's practices and Washington's endorsement of Israel on U.S. investments in Egypt that are facing difficulties due to the current situation, he pointed out.

The delegation focused on the importance of activating the U.S. role in quest of peace in the Middle East, he added.