Egyptian rice for Iraq

Awni Hashim, the manager of the Egyptian commercial center in Baghdad, said yesterday that Egyptian companies won contracts worth $10 million to import 25,000 tons of Egyptian rice to Iraq within the fourth stage of the oil-for-food agreement.

He said, "These contracts are considered the fruit of the successful visit recently paid to Baghdad by Ahmed Gowaili, the Egyptian minister of trade, in which a note for joint cooperation between Egypt and Iraq - was signed."

He added that the Iraqi Ministry of Trade agreed that the Egyptian side may provide Iraq with 50 million pounds of detergents and soap, and he said the signing of these contracts is expected to take place within two or three days.