Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-03-05

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Transport minister wraps up trip to Cairo

[01] Transport minister wraps up trip to Cairo

After talks with Egyptian Information Technology and Communications Minister Tarek Kamel, Liapis expressed satisfaction at a joint decision to make bilateral relations between Greece and Egypt closer still in this area.

"We decided that we can further develop infrastructure in the sensitive telecommunications sector and encourage investments to boost electronic communications between Greece and Egypt," the Greek minister said.

He revealed that Egypt was planning a major investment in an undersea optical fibre cable that will link the Egyptian city of Alexandria with the Greek port of Piraeus, making Greece the electronic gateway for Egypt into the European Union, while Egypt will conversely act as an electronic gateway for Greece to Arab countries and Africa.

Liapis also held talks with Egypt's Civil Aviation Minister Ahmed Shafiq and discussed the possibility of Athens' international airport Eleftherios Venizelos taking over the handling of air traffic at Mount Sinai airport.

"This will be for symbolic and predominately religious reasons," Liapis clarified in statements to reporters.

He said that Greece had also asked for an increase in flights between Athens and Cairo to reflect the increase in trade relations and tourist traffic between the two countries, while the two sides reached a joint agreement to re-assess the 50-year-old air travel agreement between Athens and Cairo in view of the emerging prospects for cooperation between Egypt and the EU.

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