Tariq Aziz in Cairo today

Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi deputy prime minister, will arrive today in the first official visit from an Iraqi senior official to Egypt in seven years.

Despite the fact that political observers consider this visit to be the first one for an Iraqi senior official, the Iraqi officials are present in Cairo monthly due to their participation in the ministerial meetings of the Arab councils.

The Iraqi sources said that Tariq Aziz will deliver a message from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, which tackles the latest developments in the crisis between Iraq and the United Nations.

During his brief visit, Aziz will meet Amr Moussa, the Egyptian foreign minister, and Dr. Esmat Abdel Meguid, the secretary general of the Arab League. He will discuss with Dr. Abdel Meguid the suggestion concerning arranging an Arab League visit to Iraq to confirm the freedom of Iraq from weapons of mass destruction.