7 February .2006…          Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs, Ambassador Fatma El Zahra Etman held a meeting with the Ambassadors of the European Union member states accredited to Egypt, within the framework of the periodical meetings held between Assistant Foreign Ministers and Ambassadors of different geographical groups. The meeting tackled bilateral relations between Egypt and the European Union within the framework of preparing for the Egyptian European Council meeting scheduled to be held in Brussels on 6 March 2007. The meeting tackled several regional issues of common concern, with special emphasis on the Egyptian efforts to defuse the crisis on the Palestinian arena and solving problems between Palestinian factions to resume the peace process on the Palestinian Israeli tracks, and means of promoting reconciliation efforts between disputing parties in Lebanon and Iraq, and  the Iranian nuclear file in light of Egypt's participation in the Troika delegation of the non-alignment movement which visited Tehran recently. The meeting also focused on the recent developments on the African arena in view of the last African Union Summit held in Addis Ababa, particularly the Darfur Crisis, the situation in South Sudan, the conflict in Somalia, in addition to ways of enhancing cooperation in the field of combating terrorism on the international and regional levels within the framework of the European partnership.