Egypt is following up developments in the Iranian nuclear file, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit said on Friday.

In statements, Abul-Gheit said the report on Iran issued by Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed El-Baradei should be studied thoroughly before adopting any resolution against the country.

Imposing sanctions should not be a principle in dealing with international issues, said Abul-Gheit, adding that dialogue would be the best model to defuse similar crises.

The availability of political will would help find a ground conducive to achieving a peaceful settlement to the issue, in a way that could be accepted by all parties concerned, Abul-Gheit said.


On the other hand, Ahmed Abul-Gheit will leave Cairo Saturday 24/02/2007 heading for Pakistan to partake in a ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), to open in Islamabad Sunday.

The gathering is to be held within the framework of a seven-way initiative launched by Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Turkey and floated during Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf recent visit to the region, according to Alaa El-Hadidi, Foreign Ministry Press Spokesman.

The gathering will focus on a string of issues, topped by the situation in Palestine and Iraq, along with the arbitrary dichotomy between Islam and the West, the spokesman said.

The event reflects participating states' keenness on shouldering their responsibilities vis-à-vis solving problems encountering these states, as well as defending their interests in preparation for convening an Islamic summit grouping these countries.