The Israeli Agriculture Minister, Haim Oron, has praised the level of agricultural co-operation between Israel and Egypt.

He was speaking after talks with his counterpart in Cairo, Yousef Wali.

He said he hoped that co-operation would extend to cover other areas, but the that main obstacle to such development was political.

Correspondents say Mr Oron's three-day visit has gone virtually unreported in the Egyptian state media, reflecting the official chill in Egypt's ties with Israel despite their 1979 peace treaty.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service