French premier starts visit to Egypt

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin starts today a two-day working visit to Egypt, after which he will continue a private visit for several days.

The Egyptian ambassador to France, Ali Maher, said talks Jospin will hold in Cairo will have a positive impact on Egyptian-French bilateral cooperation and on the level of political consultations, especially in matters pertaining to the Middle East peace process and international issues of mutual concern.

The deputy spokesperson of the French Foreign Ministry said yesterday that Jospin will meet during his visit with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Prime Minister Atef Ebeid.

At the beginning of this year Jospin made an official visit to Egypt, during which he met with Mubarak.