EGYPT PARTICIPATES IN THE FOURTH SESSION OF THE JAPAN ARAB DIALOGUE FORUM

• The Fourth session of the Japan Arab Dialogue Forum was held in Tokyo on the 26th and 27th of May 2006 with the participation of high level delegations from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Japan The Dialogue was established following Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to the Middle East in May 2003, and it held its first session in Tokyo in September 2003, while the second and third sessions were held in Alexandria, Egypt, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, respectively.
• The Dialogue Forum is intended to allow for the free exchange of views among the participants on how to further deepen understanding between Japan and the Arab World and explore creative ways for enhancing the relationship between Japan and the countries of the region. It is thus an important vehicle and complements the efforts underway to enhance Arab-Japanese relations at the formal government-to-government level.
• The fourth session of the Dialogue was attended by a large and high level delegation from Egypt which was led by Mr. Ismail Serageldin (the Director of the Library of Alexandria) and included Mr. Osama El Baz (the Political Advisor to the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt) in addition to a number of other prominent public figures and former officials.
• During the intensive discussions that were held in the session, the participants exchanged views on a large array of political, economic and cultural questions. These included the situations in both Palestine and Iraq, non-proliferation issues in the Middle East, and the process of democratization in the region. On the economic front, the participants addressed a number of proposals aimed at enhancing and promoting trade and investments between Japan and the Arab World and harnessing Japan's advanced technologies in support of the development process in the countries of the region. As for cultural issues, the session explored a number of proposals that aim to expand the scope cultural interaction between the two sides, including through developing networks between scholars and universities, publishing more books in both Arabic and Japanese, and creating a digital portal on the internet on Arab-Japanese relations.
• The participants concluded the session by adopting a Joint Statement that addressed all of these issues and many more, and included, for the first time, a proposal submitted by Egypt to convene an expanded conference between the Arab World and Japan, which could be held in the early part of 2007.