Joint higher committee meetings begin between Egypt and Tunis

Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri leaves Cairo today for Tunisia, heading a large ministerial delegation to represent Egypt at the meetings of the sixth session of the higher joint committee between Egypt and Tunisia.

During the two-day meeting, the Tunisian side will hold bilateral discussions with El-Ganzouri to support the relations between the countries.

Yousef El-Mokedem, Tunisia's ambassador in Egypt, said before leaving Cairo today on his way to Tunis to participate in the meeting of the preparatory committee for the committee's works, which comprises experts from both countries in different fields under the chairmanship of Egyptian Minister of State for Planning Zafer El-Beshry and Tunisian Minister of Trade El-Monzer Zanati, said that political issues and the two countries' joint perceptions will top the meetings of the committee through its discussion of different Arab, African, Islamic and the Middle Eastern issues in light of the results of the successive meetings held under the chairmanship of the two countries' foreign ministers and the continuous communications an d consultations between Presidents Mubarak and Bin Ali.

The higher committee is expected to take practical steps toward starting the implementation of a free trade zone between the two states after the ratification of the zone by the People's Assemblies in both states.