Mubarak arrives unannounced in Damascus

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in Damascus on Wednesday afternoon for an official visit to Syria, and he was welcomed by President Hafez al-Assad at the airport.

Upon arriving at al-Shaab Palace in Damascus the two Presidents held a plenary meeting attended by the Egyptian ministers accompanying Mubarak and their Syrian counterparts. The plenary meeting was followed by a closed-door meeting between the two presidents.

In parallel with the closed-door meeting, Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam and Egyptian Premier al-Ganzouri held a meeting, while the Egyptian and Syrian ministers held another meeting.

President Mubarak is accompanied by Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri, Information Minister Safwat al-Sharif, Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, Economy Minister Youssef Butrous Ghali, Minister of State for Planning Affairs Zafer al-Bishri, Industry Minister Suleiman Rida and President Mubarak's office director, Zakaria Azmi.