CAIRO: Egypt has asked the European Union to lift an export ban on Egyptian vegetables and seeds that was instated after a deadly E. coli outbreak in Europe last June. EU officials are set to reconsider the ban at the end of October. However, Egypt hopes that the ban, which has cost the country a great deal in loses, may be lifted sooner. Originally, EU authorities suspected that the E. coli outbreak originated from an Egyptian crop. Officials from the EU, the United States and Egypt conducted conclusive tests last July, however, and found that the E. coli strain did not originate in Egypt. Regardless, exports from Egypt are still banned in the EU. The Ukraine government officially informed Egypt that it would lift the ban last Wednesday, raising hopes that the Europe-wide ban would be lifted sooner. The ban has caused much anxiety in Egypt as the government attempts to put the country's economy back on track following the January 25 revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak. BM
