Hariri holds talks in Egypt

The Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri called on the Arab states to remove all obstacles and measures obstructing the flow of commodities, noting that it is no longer acceptable to keep these complex measures which serve special interests of certain sides, while, on the other hand, be damaging to the interests of peoples and countries as a whole and obstruct their progress and development.

Hariri's statements were made during his patronage of the opening of the meeting for the Egyptian- Lebanese business people in Cairo yesterday evening in the presence of several Lebanese ministers and crowded number of Lebanese and Egyptian businessmen.

Hariri met with the US ambassador in Cairo Jeffery Filtman and reviewed with him conditions in the region and bilateral relations. The American ambassador said that talks dealt with developments under recent developments and wanted to ask about Hariri's " assessment on the Lebanese government after four ministers gave their resignation from it."

Hariri received the ambassador of the European union Patrick Reno and discussed with him his forthcoming visit to the European Commission headquarters in Brussels next week. Following the meeting, Reno said " I came to prepare with him ( Hariri) for this visit as he will be meeting with the new chairman of the European Commission and its representative Javier Solana and the new external relations commissioner.

Al-Hariri will receive today at his residence in Cairo the secretary general of the Arab league Amre Mousa and crowns his visit by meeting with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubasrak at the Presidential palace.