PARIS, Nov 26 (KUNA) -- French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday hosted a meeting and a working lunch for visiting Egyptian President Abdelfatah Al-Sisi to discuss bilateral, regional and multilateral issues and he vowed France would be "a partner" for Egypt in a number of areas.
Speaking at a joint press statement with Al-Sisi, Hollande remarked on Egypt's "difficult times with considerable human consequences" and he said France "wanted to be a partner and have a clear relationship with Egypt." The French leader said that Egypt's transition process "was respecting the Road Map, permitting full success for Egypt." Bilateral talks were extensive and discussed what Hollande said was France's role in helping "Egypt's needs for development and growth." The French leader said it was important to accompany the transition process put in place by Cairo with "a certain number of investments, the greatest number possible in Egypt." France is currently the fifth largest foreign investor in Egypt.
To emphasise the renewed impetus, the two governments signed several accords Wednesday, evaluated by Al-Sisi at the press statement at Euros 700 million (USD 875 million), including an accord with the French Development Agency for Euros 150 million (USD 188 million) million and an agreement worth Euros 300 million (USD 375 million) for the refurbishment of the subway system in Cairo.
Other details were not revealed on the additional accords.
Discussions were held on military contracts and Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian took part in part of the meetings at the Elysee Palace, as did Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
"We set out a certain number of sectors where France can be present, where it can bring its assistance," Hollande said of the accords.
"But we want to go much further," he added, citing notably the Suez Canal zone, which he said he will visit during a trip to Egypt next year.
Hollande stressed that France would also seek to work with Egypt on energy issues and on the renewable resources sector.
Hollande and Al-Sisi agreed to convoke a Joint Economic Commission for March 2015 to further discuss cooperation and projects and Hollande said he would also work within the multilateral organisations to support Egyptian needs for financing.
The second major issue on the agenda Wednesday was the fight against terrorism on several fronts, Egypt, the Middle East and Africa.
"We obviously broached the fight against terrorism," Hollande said. "Egypt is a country hit by terrorism, it has been hit and it is still hit, notably in the Sinai." He said that Egypt also faced terrorist threats from movements "located in neighbouring countries." Libya was high on the agenda for the anti-terrorism discussions and Hollande said "everything must be done by us so that Rule of Law is re-established, so that the Libyan authorities can ensure the integrity of their territory, so that we can avoid that terrorism can install itself in the south (of Libya) and threaten the entire region." Other discussions dealt with the situation in Gaza and both leaders agreed that there must be a two-State solution to the Middle East conflict.
Iraq and Syria and the situation with Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) were addressed and Hollande said that the "fight against the ISIL must be carried out" but that "political solutions were also being sought" in Iraq, but especially in Syria.
Speaking after Hollande, the Egyptian leader said that the talks were "very fruitful" and there was "proximity of views" and "similar opinions" on the topics discussed. He made a strong plea for tourists to return to Egypt, saying "we will protect you" and noting the affection the Egyptian people had for visitors.
On the Middle East conflict and possible solutions, he echoed Hollande's views on a two-State solution with East Jerusalem as the future capital of the Palestinian nation.
"If we could resolve this, it would make a qualitative change in the region," Al-Sisi said.
He also urged support for Iraq "in the face of the considerable security and stability challenges" and he said we need to work to preserve the unity of Syria.
He spoke forcefully about the Libyan situation, saying that the country risks becoming a base for "Taqfiri" and he called for a halt "to the impoverishment and waste" of that country, adding "we are all with the people of Libya, the government and the institutions." (end) jk.mt