Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Monday in Rome he was concerned by the deadlock in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and called on the European Union to play a more active role in the region, reported AFP.
Mubarak’s remarks came after a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
The growing tensions in the Middle East were the focal point of discussions between the two leaders, sources told the agency.
Mubarak, who arrived in Rome Sunday for a three-day official visit, is due to visit the Vatican on Tuesday for meetings "solely concerning peace in the Middle East," said Kuwait’s News Agency (KUNA).
The President is also due to hold talks with Prime Minister Giuliano Amato on strengthening bilateral ties in the fields of trade, industry and tourism.
Egypt's ambassador in Italy, Nehad Abdel Latif, told the weekly Middle East Times Monday that Egypt and Italy would sign a deal to transform debts owed to Italy into loans or grants to allow Egypt to finance economic and social development.
The online weekly quoted Al-Akhbar daily as saying that Egypt’s debts totaled 147 million dollars.
Also during Mubarak's visit, the two countries will sign two agreements in the areas of science and the judiciary, said the weekly.
The Egyptian economy, which depends on tourism for much of its earnings of badly needed foreign currency, benefited from a total of 760,000 Italian tourists last year, according to the Middle East Times – Albawaba.com.
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
