Many obstacles still stand in the way a free trade agreement between Egypt and the United States, said US Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey at a press conference yesterday on the sidelines of the Cairo Information and Communication Technologies fair. Scobey said that a free trade agreement was not on the US administration's agenda, and would not be in the near future. The ambassador pointed out that the US Congress has not approved several other free trade agreements between the US and other states. However, she confirmed that the US is keen to bolster strategic economic talks initiated by Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid during his latest visit to the US. Scobey talked about US support for freedom of the internet, and pointed out that information technology companies in the US face several challenges around the world--including in Egypt--saying there is a need to protect intellectual property rights to preserve standing investments. Ahmed Zewail, US President Barack Obama's technology and science advisor for the Middle East, is visiting Egypt to further cooperation in scientific research and technology, Scobey said. She called the size of current Egypt-US science and technology funds unsatisfactory. Scobey also mentioned that Obama hopes for greater cooperation between the US and the Islamic world. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
