CAIRO Egypt's economy minister will travel to Iraq this week for talks on activating a recent free trade agreement, Egypt's official MENA News Agency reported on Sunday.

Economy and Foreign Trade Minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali will leave for Iraq on Friday at the head of an economic and trade delegation including the president of the Chambers of Commerce Union and more than 170 businessmen, the agency said. The trip will last several days.

The visit is the latest sign of improving Egyptian-Iraqi relations, which had been strained since the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf crisis.

Egypt broke off diplomatic ties with Iraq during the crisis and sent troops to join the U.S.-led coalition that drove Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Relations have improved in recent months and trade has blossomed, but full diplomatic ties have not been restored.

Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan signed the free trade deal with Egypt in Cairo last month. He was the most senior Iraqi official to pay a bilateral visit to Egypt since Iraq invaded Kuwait.

MENA said Boutros-Ghali would hold talks in Iraq with Ramadan as well as the ministers of the interior, trade, industry, transport, health and irrigation to discuss bilateral cooperation in these fields.

(Reuter)