12 July 2007…. In view of the State's concern to combat the bird flu disease on the national level, and to exchange expertise and knowledge with the neighbouring countries, as well as other countries in the world, a workshop will be held in the Egyptian International Centre for Agriculture in cooperation with the French and Thai governments and under the auspices of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, for experts from African countries on means to combat the bird flu, during the period from 15 to 19 July. Physicians and veterinarians from eleven African countries, as well as Thailand and Afghanistan, are to participate in the workshop, which is the outcome of close cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Health and Population in addition to the Giza Governorate. The workshop aims to demonstrate the experience and exchange the expertise of the participating countries, particularly the African countries, in the fields of capacity building, laboratories, developing means of monitoring and spreading awareness among citizens, and coordinating between all the authorities and the civil society to combat the disease, and eventually to establish an information exchange network among the participating countries. This workshop comes as a continuation of another workshop, which was held in the Thai capital of Bangkok in January, which tackled the consequence of the disease in a number of Asian countries neighboring Thailand, means to confront it and treat the sick people to prevent the transmission of the disease to human beings. Stemming from Egypt's leading role in Africa, Foreign Minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, gave his directives to the Egyptian Fund for Technical Cooperation with Africa to participate in funding the accommodation of a number of African experts in this workshop so that they can benefit from the Egyptian and international know how to increase the capabilities of these countries to confront this dangerous disease, which threatens the life of man and animal.