Egypt criticizes American plan on development in the ME

The Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Maher has stressed that the speech delivered by the US secretary of state Colin Powell on Thursday in which he reviewed the US plan to enhance development in the Arab states, as not having tackled the main issue in the Middle East region, represented in the continued Israeli occupation of the Arab lands.

Maher said in a statement yesterday that reaching a comprehensive and just solution for the Middle East question embodied in Israel's total withdrawal from all occupied Arab lands, until June, 4, 1067 border lines, as the only matter which brings peace and security to its people.