Cairo issues its reservations on the Greater Middle East initiative; Egypt, Tunisia are absent from the G-8 summit

Both Tunisia and Egypt announced yesterday they will not take part in the G-8 summit which will be held on June 8 in Georgia, the USA.

The summit had extended invitations to several Arab states to attend it, at a time when the Egyptian state- owned papers issued the work paper debated by President Hosni Mubarak on the Arab summit on reform initiatives in the Arab world, including five main reservations on the American " Great Middle East initiative."

The Egyptian- Tunisian apology came by the Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Maher who announced in an interview broadcast by the Egyptian TV yesterday morning that Presidents Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Zine al-Abidin Ben Ali decided to apologize for not attending the summit.

He indicated that several Arab states were invited for participation, noting he does not know " the criterion" used for selection. He stressed that Egypt was among the states which were invited but Mubarak apologized for not attending. Maher also said that the Tunisian President also apologized and Qatar will not be attending.

Maher stressed that Egypt does not refuse reforms nor dialogue about it but refuses to "melt the Arab league." He said that the G- 8 proposed several papers and has the intention to bring in Arab and non- Arab countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan and Turkey which are friendly countries but of different conditions from that of the Arab states, in remark to the greater Middle east initiative which will be launched in Georgia.

But he said that " countries which will go to the G-8 will be supported by all Arab states in this point, in particular." He indicated that " all go in line with the Arab reform document and their readiness to discuss all issues of concern to the Arab nation especially in Palestine and Iraq." He stressed that the issue of reform will be also discussed.

Meantime, the spokesman for the White House said that the US expects several Arab states participation in the G-8. He said in reply to Maher's statements " I think there will be there several countries taking part in the G-8 and we will have good representation in the Middle East also."