Mubarak-UN envoy meet THE ISSUES of peace in the region and Darfur were discussed on Sunday during President Hosni Mubarak's meeting with Terry Rod Larson, envoy of the UN secretary-general. Larson said after the meeting that Egypt would always be the "buttress for stability in the Middle East" and that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon was monitoring the ongoing investigation into the Hizbullah cell recently captured in Egypt. Mubarak also received a verbal message from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi delivered by the Secretary of the Popular Committee Al-Boghdadi Al-Mahmoudi on Sunday. The message discussed issues of bilateral interest including boosting economic cooperation between the two countries. Al-Mahmoudi said after the meeting that there was coordination between the two states regarding Darfur and supporting the unity and stability of Sudan. Al-Mahmoudi visited Egypt to attend a meeting of the joint Egyptian-Libyan committee held in Cairo. The two sides agreed to increase the size of mutual trade from $800 million to $2 billion every year. Al-Mahmoudi said Libyan investments in Egypt had reached $7 billion. He hailed the Egyptian contribution in building a number of projects in Libya and that there was still room for Egyptian participation in infrastructure projects and in working in Libya, especially in medicine. Mubarak also discussed with Maria-Tererena Ferdenandes, first deputy of the Spanish prime minister, Darfur and bilateral cooperation. Arrangements were made for an Egyptian-Spanish summit scheduled for the fall. Arab states involved in the peace process are to attend. Ferdenandes emphasised her country's support for the Arab peace initiative and the two-state solution. On Sunday, Mubarak met a delegation from the African Institution responsible for Darfur. The high-level delegation included the former presidents of South Africa, Burundi and Nigeria. The delegation discussed developments in Darfur and the efforts exerted to resolve the crisis. The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit. Road accident FIVE were killed and 40 injured in a road accident on Monday afternoon, when a truck loaded with steel iron crashed into the rear of a private bus on the Ring Road. The incident damaged 25 cars which were approaching from the opposite direction when the bus turned over on the other side of the road. Ambulances took the injured to hospital for treatment. Cranes were used to lift damaged cars off the road to ease traffic which stopped for nearly six hours. Three-day deadline SOMALI pirates have demanded $5 million in ransom for the release of two Egyptian fishing boats which were hijacked earlier this month and the safe return of their crew. According to the narration of relatives of the crew, Abu Ali, leader of the hijackers, threatened to kill all crew members and burn the two boats within 72 hours if their demands were not met. The demand was announced Sunday. Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit had previously stated that negotiations with the hijackers will take a long time. Abul-Gheit's statements angered residents of Kafr Al-Sheikh and Damietta governorates, where families of the kidnapped fishermen live. Fire under control A SMALL fire broke out on Monday morning in the electricity room adjacent to the People's Assembly. The fire was caused by the burning of the main electricity cable feeding the room. Employees panicked before fire engines put out the blaze. Bedouin threat DOZENS of angry Sinai Bedouins vowed to renew their confrontation with the government in June if the Interior Ministry does not meet their demands. At a sit-in on Saturday, the Bedouins renewed their demand that the government release their comrades in jail and improve the living conditions of their citizenry. In November last year, dozens of Bedouins were arrested during clashes with security forces in the wake of the death of four Bedouins killed by police. Bedouins imposed a blockade around several police units in Northern Sinai and captured around 40 policemen. Balloon crash THIRTEEN foreign tourists were injured on Saturday when their hot air balloon crashed in Luxor. Eight of the injured were French, two Britons, one Canadian, one Korean and one Dane. The injured were taken to Luxor Hospital for treatment. According to medical sources, none of their injuries were life-threatening. The tourists had been floating over the west bank of Luxor when the balloon struck a cell phone transmission tower near Gourna village on the west bank of the Nile. Following the incident, the Civil Aviation Authority suspended the operations of the 12 hot air balloon companies in Luxor until a thorough check-up of all hot air balloons is conducted. Hot air ballooning, usually at sunrise over the Karnak and Luxor temples as well as the Valley of the Kings, is a popular pastime in the city. In April 2008, seven tourists were injured in a similar crash. Compiled by Mona El-Nahhas
