Egypt, the United States and Israel Tuesday signed a historical agreement on trade and industry, which is also be seen as the first strategic partnership accord between Egypt and Israel since they sealed a peace treaty in 1979, a Xinhua correspondent reported on the scene.

The Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZs) agreement was inked by Egyptian Minister of Foreign Trade and Industry Rasheed Mohamed Rasheed, US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Israeli Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Under the agreement, certain Egyptian goods with Israeli input at the minimum of 11.7 percent will be exported to the United States without paying any customs duty.

Zoellick, who arrived in Cairo on Sunday, said it is the most important economic accord to be signed by the two neighbors since they signed the landmark treaty 25 years ago.

The zones will be set up in several places in Egypt, including Greater Cairo, the Alexandria and the Suez Canal Zone with an industrial area of Port Said.