Hamdi Samir, head of the Finance Ministry's Public Debt Department, has denied reports by the Turkish Anadolu news agency on Monday that talks with Qatar to transfer additional funds from a US$2 billion Qatari deposit to the Central Bank of Egypt have broken down without explanation. The agency had attributed the report to unknown sources. “We are offering bonds of US$2 billion to Qatar in August and September through the Irish Stock Exchange,” Samir said. Qatar, the largest financier of Egypt since deposed President Mohamed Morsy came to power a year ago, provided Egypt with US$8 billion, of which US$5.5 billion was in the form of bonds, while the remaining aid was added to foreign reserves. According to the Egyptian Finance Ministry, the government offered US$3.5 billion in bonds from the Qatari financial package to Qatar National Bank, of which US$2.5 billion was offered in May for an annual interest rate of 4.25 percent, and US$1 billion early this July for an annual interest rate of 3.5 percent. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
