PRESIDENT Hosni Mubarak held talks with Iraqi Vice- President Tariq al-Hashemi in Cairo on Wednesday in which they discussed developments in Iraq. In a joint press briefing with Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif after that talks, al-Hashemi lauded Egypt's decision to appoint a new ambassador in Baghdad last summer, after the previous ambassador was kidnapped and executed in 2005, Egypt's official Middle East News Agency (MENA) said. The Egyptian Embassy was reopened last June. Veteran Egyptian diplomat Sharif Kamal Shahine was appointed as the new ambassador. "Egypt's decision to keep its embassy open signalled its commitment to Iraq and to close political ties with the country," Nazif said. "Egyptian companies have great desire in investing in Iraq," Nazif said. "We will work on creating the suitable environment through the Egyptian investment authority and its Iraqi counterpart." Al-Hashemi likewise hailed 25 recently signed economic and investment co-operation protocols.
