Chinese new Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi arrived at Egypt's Red Sea resort in Sharm El-Sheikh on Wednesday afternoon for the May 3-4 international conferences on Iraq on his first international mission.

 

Yang is expected to attend Thursday's meeting under the International Compact with Iraq (ICI) and Friday's conference of the foreign ministers of Iraq's expanded neighbors.

 

Yang, former Chinese ambassador to the United States, is also expected to hold several bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other participating nations, according to the Chinese embassy in Egypt.

 

This is Yang's first overseas mission since he was named foreign minister on April 27, replacing Li Zhaoxing.

 

Yang was invited by Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, UN chief's ICI Special Advisor Ibrahim Gambari, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

 

The two high-profile ministerial meetings will gather senior diplomats from Iraq's six neighbors -- Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait -- plus Bahrain, Egypt, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference and the United Nations.

 

Also attending will be senior diplomats from the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the United States, Britain, Russia and France -- and members of the G-8, including Germany, Canada, Japan and Italy.

 

The Sharm el-Sheikh conference will be the largest international ministerial meeting on Iraq since the US-led coalition forces seized Baghdad in April of 2003.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 3, 2007)