Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns told reporters in Cairo December 15 that, after more than a week of consultations with Arab leaders, he was returning to Washington, along with U.S. Special Envoy Anthony Zinni, to consult with President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Burns stressed his appreciation for the insights the Egyptian leadership offered on regional issues. "President Mubarak and Egypt are as important partners as we have in this region," Burns said.
He pledged the United States would remain engaged in efforts to address Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Following is the transcript of the remarks Burns made in Cairo at the conclusion of his meeting with the Egyptian Presidential National Security Adviser Usama el-Baz December 15:
(begin transcript)
First, we are delighted to be back in Cairo. We had an excellent meeting with President Mubarak, the Foreign Minister, and with Dr. el-Baz. It's always an important opportunity for us to consult with Egypt and take advantage of its insights. President Mubarak and Egypt are as important partners as we have in this region. It's obviously an extremely difficult time. General Zinni and I will be returning to Washington, as you know, to consult with Secretary Powell and the President about our next steps but the one thing I am certain of is that we are going to remain very actively engaged in this issue and continue to do everything we can to help -- especially to help the parties move away from violence and back in the direction of a political process. Thank you very much.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)