Basra to open Egyptian consulate in early 2011

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: Preparations were finalized to inaugurate an Egyptian consulate in Basra, according to the province’s deputy governor on Sunday. “All official approvals were granted by the Iraqi government to open the consulate and offer all facilities possible for the Egyptian brothers in this respect,” Basra Deputy Governor Ahmed al-Hassani said during a press conference with Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Mohammed Qassem and Egypt’s ambassador to Iraq Sherif Kamal Shahin. “The presence of an Egyptian consulate in Basra would contribute to strengthening cooperation and coordination with Egypt particularly in the fields of development, reconstruction and training as well as facilitating the entry of Egyptian and Arab investors,” Hassani added. For his part, Qassem said that the official inauguration of the consulate of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Basra will take place in early 2011. “Basra enjoys a distinguished status and can act as a hub for Egyptian companies to invest there,” he said, adding the step came through directives from high-level officials in Egypt who worked on opening a consulate in the northern Iraq Kurdish city of Arbil last month. The oil-rich port city of Basra, Iraq’s only outlet to waterways, lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AmR (S) 1