New round of European - Egyptian participation negotiations

A new round of participation negotiations between Egypt and the European Union will begin on May 25 in order to reach a final agreement that will be conveyed to the Palermo conference of the Mediterranean - European countries, held among foreign ministers next month.

In press statements on Wednesday, ambassador Gamal Baioumi, the Egyptian assistant foreign minister said, "If the points of dispute are not settled during the coming negotiations, then it will be conveyed to the foreign ministers in their coming meeting."

Baioumi said that ten items were agreed upon in the participation negotiations, including a program for modernizing Egyptian industry, adding that the points of dispute have become very limited.

Egypt seeks to get the European Union's approval to export large quantities of Egyptian agricultural products to European markets, while the European Union insists on imposing specific shares for Egyptian exports that are smaller than the Egyptian demands.