Foreign Minister winds up four-day visit to Middle East

Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda has wound up an important four-day visit to the Middle East, which included stops in Iraq, the Palestinian territories and Egypt, where the foreign minister met with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak on Sunday. On the table for discussion were economic and military issues as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the situation in Iraq. Earlier Mr Svoboda indicated the Czech Republic viewed Egypt as an important player in the region. Meanwhile, a representative of the Czech Foreign Ministry, Martin Kosatka, has indicated the Czech Republic aims to specialise in Middle Eastern affairs within the framework of the European Union. The Czech Republic joins on May 1st.