Egyptian president meets UN envoy on Syrian-Lebanese issue

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak discussed the Syrian-Lebanese issue with UN Mideast envoy Terje Roed-Larsen on Saturday at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

"The meeting touched on the recent developments in the region, especially in Syria and Lebanon," said MENA.

Larsen said after the meeting that his regional tour, which will also take him to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, was aimed at having consultations with the parties concerned about an international inquiry in the Feb. 14 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

However, he noted it was up to the United Nations Security Council to make decision on the formation of the international inquiry committee and no conclusive decision had been reached so far.

Earlier in the day, the UN envoy also met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.

A UN report last week criticized the Lebanese authorities for not preventing or properly investigating the assassination and recommended an international inquiry.

Source: Xinhua