Washington, August 18, SPA -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hosted visiting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday for an hour-long discussion on regional and bilateral issues, the State Department said. “They obviously compared notes on the status of efforts by the United States and others to resume the negotiation between Israel and Palestine as part of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East,” said spokesman P.J. Crowley. "They talked about a range of regional issues, including the situation in Iran, the situation in Sudan, ” Crowley said, referring to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. “They talked also about the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan as we approach elections in Afghanistan on Thursday,” Crowley told reporters. Clinton and Mubarak discussed several bilateral issues including economics and trade, educational opportunities, and other issues of common interest, Crowley said. “It was a wide-ranging discussion befitting the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States.” Besides his scheduled meetings with other top Obama administration including Vice President Joseph Biden, and national security advisor James Jones, he will have a meeting later today with President Barack Obama, the Egyptian leader’s first White House visit in five years.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/693475