Japan’s Former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto will visit Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for six days starting Sunday as Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's envoy in relation to the Sept 11 terror attacks on the United States, reported Kyodo news agency, quoting Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Monday.
Hashimoto's visit is part of Japan's diplomatic efforts to boost international cooperation in the US-led war on terrorism, the top government spokesman said at a news conference.
Former Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura is already in Saudi Arabia as Koizumi's envoy to urge the country to cooperate in antiterrorism efforts. Komura is also scheduled to visit Iran.
Hashimoto will travel to the two countries after visiting Cuba from Wednesday to Saturday on unrelated matters, the Foreign Ministry said. He will stay in Egypt from Oct 7 to 9, in the UAE from Oct 9 to 11 and is scheduled to arrive back in Japan on Oct 12, said the agency.
On Oct 9 in Egypt, the former premier, along with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, is scheduled to attend a ceremony commemorating the completion of a bridge between mainland Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula over the Suez Canal, the ministry said.
Japan's grant aid of some 13.5 billion yen, decided on by the Hashimoto cabinet in 1997, made up some 60 percent of the construction costs for the bridge, according to ministry officials. The bridge was completed last month – Albawaba.com
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