Blair wants his mark on Arab-Israeli relations

The British - Egyptian friendship assembly held a breakfast banquet in honor of British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the Samiramiss Intercontinental hotel.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, Minister of Electricity and Energy Maher Aabaza, Minister of Trade Ahmed Goweili, Minister of Petroleum Hamdi El-Banbi, and a number of high-ranking journalists and businessmen attended the banquet.

During the banquet they signed a protocol which calls for joint support for a natural gas pipeline project south of El-Wadt in Egypt.

Jordanian diplomatic sources in Cairo told ArabicNews.com that Blair is looking forward to addressing the critical line separating between the Arabs and Israel in order to leave his mark on the Middle East peace process, as he is head of the European Union.

The sources said Blair will concentrate on implementation of preexisting agreements, including the inauguration of the Gaza airport and harbor and establishing a Palestinian industrial region.

Blair also met with Sheikh El-Azhar Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, where they tackled religious matters pertaining to terrorism.