ABU DHABI (Updated) - President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday arrived in the UAE at the start of a two-day Gulf tour that will take also take him to Qatar and Bahrain, the official Egyptian Middle East News Agency reported. "Mubarak's tour is part of his continuous consultation and coordination with his brethren Arab leaders of the three states," spokesman for the Egyptian presidency Suleiman Awwad said on Monday. He added that the visit came ahead of the United Arab Emirates celebration of its 39th National Day. "This visit shows the historical, well-established ties between Egypt and the Gulf countries," Awwad said. Mubarak will also hold talks with the three leaders on regional issues and security in the Gulf, according to the spokesman. The Egyptian President has not been to Doha since 2006; even he did not show up during an Arab summit in March 2009, attended by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mubarak was scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia on Saturday for talks with King Abdullah bin Abdelaziz, who flew Sunday to the US for check-ups over a slipped disc.
