Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak abruptly returned home from economic and defense cooperation talks with President Vladimir Putin without completing a planned visit to a Russian missile factory, reported Middle East Newslink (MENL).
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Mubarak cut short his visit on Saturday without providing an explanation. The visit, which was to have lasted three days, began on late Thursday.
For his part, Mubarak, citing time constraints, denied that he ended his visit early amid assertions by Egyptian officials that the two countries agreed on the construction of a nuclear reactor in Egypt. He said plans to visit the Russian missile factory were cancelled before he arrived in Moscow, said MENL.
In a statement to Al Jazira satellite channel on Saturday, the Egyptian embassy in Moscow reiterated the official statement that the visit was not abridged.
On Friday, Mubarak signed four cooperation accords with Putin that would expand cooperation in trade, technology and nuclear research. The following day, Mubarak was scheduled to visit Russia's Khrunichev Space Institute, which develops many of the nation's missiles.
The Saudi Al Watan newspaper reported on Thursday that military cooperation between the two countries, including a tank deal was on the agenda.
But on Saturday morning, Mubarak flew home to Cairo. Arab diplomatic sources did not rule out exhaustion for the reason the Egyptian president left early, according to MENL – Albawaba.com
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