Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Gheit held talks with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East, particularly in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The meeting comes during Abu el-Gheit's visit to Paris and Brussels. According to Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hossam Zaki, "Abul Gheit's visit coincides with the European Summit to be held on Thursday and Friday in Brussels, where the minister is expected to meet with many European officials on the sidelines of the conference." "During his discussions, Abul Gheit will touch on issues of shared interest, such as bilateral coordination in multi-lateral forums, with a particular focus on reviewing where everyone is in the wake of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York, especially around the Egyptian call to rid the Middle East of Weapons of Mass Destruction," Zaki added. A official Egyptian diplomatic source told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Abul Gheit's discussions with European Union officials will cover the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip in light of the demand made last Monday by EU foreign ministers that Gaza's border crossings be opened immediately and without condition to allow for the entry of humanitarian aid and the free passage of Gaza residents in and out of the territory. In related news, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Thursday denied media reports that Egypt would allow Hamas to append a list of its own "notes" to the Egyptian-sponsored Palestinian reconciliation agreement if it signed the document A high level diplomatic source told Al-Masry Al-Youm, "there is no truth to this matter whatsoever." According to diplomatic sources, the current "leaks" circulating in the media concerning the Palestinian reconciliation agreement are designed to influence the Egyptian position regarding the issue.The source added that the leaks were a mixture of old rumors and that they would not affect Egypt's stance towards reconciliation. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
