Moussa meets new US ambassador

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa yesterday conferred with new U.S ambassador in Cairo Daniel Kurtzer on the Middle East peace scene.

Emerging from the meeting, the US envoy said the talks had focused on the recent meetings in Washington between US president Bill Clinton separately with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Moreover, Kurtzer denied that he had criticized Egypt's boycott of last November's Middle East and North Africa economic conference held in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Kurtzer, in his first press statement in Cairo two weeks ago, lashed out at the Arab boycott of the Doha meeting, saying the conference was a mere economic forum.

He said yesterday that his remarks had reflected his own opinion and did not mean to attack Egyptian policy, Al-Akhbrar daily reported.