By Ashraf Sadek CAIRO, April 3, 2018 - President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Tuesday stressed Egypt's firm support of the unity and sovereignty of Iraq and its keenness on backing all efforts aimed at restoring peace and stability to the country and preserving the unity of the Iraqi people. In a meeting with Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker Salim el-Jabouri, President Sisi said that Iraq was the homeland of all Iraqis without discrimination, according to Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi. President Sisi expressed Egypt's full solidarity with the Iraqi government and people and wished them every success. President Sisi, according to Ambassador Radi, praised the genuine fraternity that binds Egypt and Iraq, and emphasised Cairo's full support of the Iraqi state agencies and their efforts to restore security and stability in Iraq and to fulfill the aspirations of the Iraqi people. President Sisi called for the promotion of Egyptian-Iraqi ties in all domains. Speaker el-Jabouri praised the longstanding relationship between Iraq and Egypt, which he described as a cornerstone of security and stability in the Middle East. Mr el-Jabouri congratulated President Sisi for winning the March 26-28 election and said that President Sisi's landslide victory reflected the Egyptians' great confidence in the president and his wise leadership during this critical period of the country's modern political history. Mr el-Jabouri said that he had discussed with President Sisi the latest developments in Iraq as well as ways of enhancing the ties between Baghdad and Cairo in every field. He confirmed that his country paid much attention to the strengthening of economic co-operation with Egypt, which he described as "a pillar of peace and stability in the Arab World". Later on, President Sisi yesterday called for maintaining the upgrade of water quality and speeding up the establishment of all desalination and sewage water treatment stations while ensuring their efficiency all year long. The president's statements came during his meeting with Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Minister of Housing Moustafa Madbouli, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aati, Minister of Agriculture Abdel Monem el-Banaa and head of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority Major General Kamel el-Wazeer, Ambassador Radi said. During the meeting, the president also asserted that the state is keen on offering the best level of services to citizens, farmers and agricultural land owners in terms of the quality and amounts of water as well as its conformation to the best level of international environment and health standards. This, the president added, comes as part of the comprehensive development plan that the state seeks to realise. The president also stressed the continuation of efforts to rationalise the consumption of water and expand the use of modern tools and systems that fulfill this goal.
