Mubarak departs Egypt for Washington
( 2002-03-02 15:48 ) (8 )

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak left Cairo early Saturday for a six-day visit to the United States during which he will meet with US President George W. Bush, airport sources said.

He is scheduled to hold talks with Bush Tuesday focusing on containing the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, on the campaign against terrorism, on trade relations and other issues, the state press reported.

Mubarak is also scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and CIA chief George Tenet, as well as with members of Congress.

Egypt, which has a peace treaty with Israel, is a major peace broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.