Chancellor Schröder's trip to the Middle East

Chancellor Schröder's trip to the Middle East

The trip is in response to an invitation extended by President Mubarak of Egypt as well as to visits to Berlin by Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah in June 2001 and by the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed, in May last year. Meetings are also planned with leading representatives of the business communities in these countries. The purpose of the four-day tour is to cultivate bilateral relations and to promote economic cooperation with the countries in the region. Needless to say, the overall Middle East situation will play an important role in these talks.

First stop: Egypt

The first stop on the Chancellor's journey will be Cairo, where he will fly on the afternoon of October 4 following the opening of the EU intergovernmental conference in Rome. During President Mubarak's visit to Berlin in February this year, he and Schröder agreed to jointly attend the opening of the Egyptian-German University in Cairo on October 5. Chancellor Schröder last visited Egypt during his Middle East tour in October three years ago.

Saturday evening Schröder will attend a reception at the German Ambassador's Residence in observance of German Reunification Day. On Sunday he will hold talks with Premier Ebeid and President Mubarak and will give a speech at their joint opening of the new university. The Chancellor's visit to Egypt will conclude with a working luncheon and a joint press conference with the Egyptian President.

Next stop: Saudi Arabia

On Sunday afternoon Schröder will fly from Cairo to Saudi Arabia, arriving in Riyadh in the late afternoon. In the evening Crown Prince Abdallah will host the Chancellor at an official dinner. After his meeting with the Crown Prince Schröder is scheduled to have an audience with King Fahd.

On Monday morning Schröder will give a speech at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and meet with high-ranking representatives of the Saudi business community. He will conclude his visit to Riyadh with a press conference around noon, after which he will fly on to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Third stop: Abu Dhabi

After his arrival in Abu Dhabi on Monday afternoon Schröder will meet with the President of the United Arab Emirates and Emir of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Monday evening the Chancellor will visit the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, followed by a meeting with Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

On the agenda for Tuesday morning is a visit to the Oasis of Liwa where the Chancellor will dedicate a well that will be a great importance for the country's water supply in the future. From there he will fly on to Dubai, the last leg of his journey.

Last stop: Dubai

Schröder is scheduled to land in Dubai around noon, at which time he will have a meeting with Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. After their meeting the Chancellor will join Sheikh Mohammed in opening an Arab media summit on the subject of "War and the Media " and will give a speech. After a meeting and a luncheon with the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rahid Al Maktoum, Schröder will take part in an international press conference at Dubai Media City. After that he will open the new Siemens headquarters in Dubai. The Chancellor will conclude his visit with the attendance of a round table discussion at Dubai Media City involving representatives of small and medium-sized German companies. After the discussion he will begin the flight back to Berlin, where he and his delegation are expected to arrive sometime in the evening.

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