New US ambassador in Cairo off to a rocky start

Daniel Kurtzer the new American ambassador to Egypt expressed his regret regarding the non-participation of Egypt and other regional leaders in the Middle East and North Africa economic conference that was held in Doha, Qatar during November.

He also said: "The United States understands the reason for boycotting the conference, but it's a wrong reason."

The American ambassador said the Doha conference was held to achieve the same goal as previous conferences: the benefit of the regions' countries and their economic well-being.

Kurtzer emphasized the importance of Washington's talks in the coming week headed by American President Bill Clinton, who will meet separately with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The American ambassador said points of disagreement between Egypt and the US include issues of human rights, nuclear proliferations issues, and the two countries' positions on Libya and Sudan.