Canadian PM arrives in Egypt

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien arrived in Cairo, Egypt, today on the third leg of a Middle East tour that has already taken him to Israel and the Palestinian areas.

Chretien will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak tomorrow, as well as his counterpart Atef Obeid for talks expected to focus mainly on boosting trade.

In a recent interview with Egypt's Al-Ahram daily, Chretien said he was trying to expand Canada's trading partners. He said he was not satisfied with trade relations between Canada and Arab countries and that he would discuss with officials in those countries the means to expand them.

After Egypt, Chretien's 10-day regional tour will take him to Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia.