$22 million dollars in Egyptian imports from Israel last year

Statements and statistics from the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Supply stressed a reduction in the volume of Egypt's imports from Israel last year to $22 million, from nearly $41 million in 1997, including insecticides, fertilizers, seeds, chicken, clothes, and textiles.

An official source in the Egyptian Industrial Unionsaid several industrial chambers ingnored requests from Israeli companies to import products, such as the leather industry's chamber refusing an Israeli company's request to import 5,000 Egyptian children's shoes for the Israeli market and the construction, chemical and wood industries' chamber refusing to exporting products to the Israeli market due to Israel's obstinacy in peace talks.