Mubarak to meet with US officials today

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived yesterday in the United States for a six-day visit, during which he is to meet with US President Bill Clinton. Mubarak's US meetings are to address issues that include bilateral economic cooperation and the stalled Middle East peace process.

Mubarak has meetings scheduled today with US Defense Secretary William Cohen, National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, Secretary of Commerce William Daley and leaders of US Jewish organizations.

Mubarak is also to co-chair this week a meeting with US Vice President Al Gore of the Egyptian - US Presidential Council, under the Mubarak- Gore initiative, which targets cooperation in supporting the Egyptian economy through trade, investment, technology transfer, and development of human resources.

Egypt's Middle East News Agency said that on his way back from Washington, President Mubarak will stop in Paris to discuss with French President Jacques Chirac the Middle East peace process.

In a press conference he held with senior US journalists and commentators, the Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa has asserted the need of cautious optimism" on the possibility of achieving a progress in the Middle East peace process during this phase, MENA said.

Moussa added in statements to the Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram, "It does not matter, for us, who is the new prime minister in Israel nor the nature of the new Israeli government, we only care about the new policy that would make a difference between the past and the present."

"Israeli withdrawal from Syria and Lebanon and the establishment of a Palestinian state are inevitable for the Middle East peace process to survive," Moussa stated.