Means to boost Egyptian-Lebanese economic ties and preparations for their joint commission due later this month, as well as Egypt's efforts to ease the Gaza blockade, were the focus of talks held Wednesday between President Hosni Mubarak and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. "Mubarak and Hariri discussed economic, investment and trade ties and the Egyptian participation in the reconstruction of Lebanon ahead of the Egyptian-Lebanese Higher Commission's meeting of next week," Egypt's official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. It added that power projects were highlighted as well, "especially the gas pipeline that will link Egypt to Jordan, Lebanon and Syria". Also discussed in the meeting were the indirect Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, the inter-Palestinian reconciliation and the latest developments in the region. Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif is expected to head the Egyptian delegation to Beirut to attend the joint commission's meetings, which will tackle the status of Egyptian labour in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Mubarak held talks with Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, who led his country's delegation in the Cairo meetings of the joint co-operation commission, over the pacts signed by Egypt and Tunisia on Monday. Ghannouchi expressed satisfaction at the fruitful and constructive dialogue that characterised this session's proceedings and testified to the development of the close bilateral relations based on mutual trust and respect between the leaders of both countries and the two brotherly peoples. This positive climate that prevailed during the session proceedings, he stated, also reaffirmed both countries' will to strengthen economic relations, notably in the fields of investment and trade exchange, the final aim being to make these relations complement the excellent political relations between the two countries.
