French Minister of Foreign Trade due in Cairo

She will hold talks with Mr Mohamed Rashid, Minister of Trade and Industry, Mrs Fayza Abul Naga, Minister of International cooperation, Mr Mahmoud Mohieddine, Minister of Investment, Mr Mohamed Mansour, Minister of Transport, and Mr Tarek Kamel, Minister of Communication and Information technology.

Following her appointment, Mrs Idrac told reporters that as France's new Minister of foreign trade, she will encourage french companies to be more implicated abroad and raise export figures and volumes. She is also determined to mobilize french energies and networks to help and assist companies in their export schemes, adding that she will be in permanent contact with enterprises and other actors such as chambers of trade and industry.

The main purpose of Mrs Idrac's visit to Egypt is to strengthen prevailing regular contacts between Paris and Cairo on economic and commercial matters, to review bilateral projets and study ways and means of further developing economic and commercial ties between the two countries. Mrs Anne-Marie Idrac, accompanied by a delegation of french businessmen from various sectors, will meet with the Egyptian members of the french-egyptian Presidential Business Council and will be the guest of honour of an important reception organized by the CAFE, the franco-egyptian Business Council.

According to the schedule, Mrs Idrac and the accompanying delegation will also visit french companies established at the Smart village which hosts several entreprises specialized in ICT, as well as french factories operating in the industrial zone of 10th of Ramadan, located in the suburbs of Cairo.

Mrs Anne-Marie Idrac will hold a press conference on Sunday March 30 th, 2008 at 6:00pm at Sofitel Gezira Hotel