WASHINGTON - US Trade Representative Ron Kirk will travel to Egypt next week for talks with a key Arab ally that has long wanted a free trade agreement with the United States, Reuters reported Thursday. Kirk will meet with Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, Trade and Industry Minister Rachid Mohamed and other Egyptian officials, his office said Wednesday night. The trip follows President Barack Obama's visit last year to Cairo, where he gave a speech aimed at improving US relations with the Muslim world. It comes during a rough patch in US-Israeli relations over Israel's plan to build 1,600 more homes for Jews near East Jerusalem, angering Palestinians. Kirk has downplayed the possibility of a free trade pact with Egypt, but said earlier this month he wanted to explore other avenues for expanding investment and trade. The two countries signed a strategic partnership plan in May to foster increased economic cooperation. Two-way trade between the two countries was a relatively tiny $7.2 billion last year, with the United States enjoying a rare trade surplus of about $3.2 billion. The United States has free trade agreements in the greater Middle East with Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain and Oman.
