CAIRO: Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark is to officially inaugurate today her country s first embassy in North Africa. The opening of the new embassy in Cairo is an example of New Zealand's desire to develop our relationship with Egypt ... an important trading partner for New Zealand in the Middle East region, Clark remarked on the occasion.She also hoped that her talks with the Egyptian officials will help boost relations and facilitate cooperation in multinational organizations, such as the UN and the WTO. Clark - accompanied by a delegation of officials and business people - arrived Wednesday on a three-day visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif. During her visit, she is expected to meet with President Hosni Mubarak, Nazif, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, said New Zealand Ambassador to Cairo Rene Wilson.Clark attended Wednesday with First Lady Suzanne Mubarak a meeting for the Women s International Peace Movement, headed by Mubarak. The prime minister gave a speech on her country and conflict prevention. She also inaugurated a photo exhibition at the American University in Cairo by late New Zealand photographer, John Feeney, who lived in Egypt for 40 years.Feeney photographed the funeral of late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, the River Nile, and the different historical sites in Egypt. Feeney died in Wellington last December.Before the end of her visit, PM Clark is to visit the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) Mission in Sinai to meet with New Zealand Defence Force personnel currently assisting with monitoring the Peace Agreement between Egypt and Israel.Referring to her MFO visit, Clark said that New Zealand s sustained commitment to the mission since 1982 as a reflection of our willingness to play a constructive role in assisting efforts to foster stability in the region. Trade exchange between Egypt and New Zealand is to the tune of $200 million, which is mostly comprised of dairy products from New Zealand. New Zealand, whose population is approximately 4 million, has embassies in Riyadh, Ankara and Tehran as well as a trade office in Dubai.
