Qian Qichen

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a staunch supporter of U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf, said in remarks published Monday that Egypt would not participate in a military strike against Iraq. Asked if Egypt would consider joining other Arabs to keep order in Iraq after a U.S. attack, Mubarak told the weekly Mayo newspaper: "No. We have nothing to do with Iraq. But it is no problem at all to enter Kuwait as a peacekeeping force. In fact it is natural," he was quoted as saying.

Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, speaking at a banquet for former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, said Wednesday that China hopes for a speedy end to disputes with the United States. Qian said the "objective existence of major, long-term common interests" between the United States and China gives Beijing hope that friendly relations between the two countries can soon be restored, the official New China News Agency reported.

Secretary of State James A. Baker III met with China's foreign minister for 90 minutes Monday in what he described as an attempt to preserve Sino-American cooperation in the wake of the suppression of the pro-democracy movement. The meeting was the first high-level contact between U.S. and Chinese officials since President Bush banned government-to-government exchanges as part of the sanctions he imposed after the Tian An Men Square massacre in June.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen said here Saturday that preparations will begin shortly for the first Sino-Soviet summit in 30 years, although the two countries still have differences over Cambodia and other crucial issues. Qian said that his visit, the first by a Chinese foreign minister to Moscow since 1957, would "initiate the process of normalization between the two countries" after years of rivalry, hostility and even armed clashes along their border.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen agreed Wednesday to travel to the Soviet Union later this year for the first such high-level state visit in a quarter of a century. A spokesman for the Soviet Foreign Ministry, Gennady I. Gerasimov, said Qian accepted an invitation to visit Moscow in the course of a meeting here with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze. He said Shevardnadze will visit Beijing early next year.