Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has rejected outside pressure and foreign interference in the Egyptian domestic affairs, including those from the United States, the official MENA news agency reported Monday.

In an interview with Al Watani El Youm newspaper to be published on Tuesday, Mubarak said that Egyptian-American relations were strong and strategic and based on mutual respect of interests despite disagreement on Middle East issues.

Without elaborating the differences, Mubarak said Egypt and the U.S. were committed to cementing bilateral relations and cooperation, as is proved by the start of an Egyptian-U.S. strategic dialogue on Tuesday in Washington.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit arrived in Washington on Monday for the first round of Egyptian-U.S. strategic dialogue with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Egypt is a major U.S. ally in the Middle East and also a leading recipient of U.S.economic and military aid.

The most populous Arab country accepted an annual U.S. aid worth some 2 billion U.S. dollars over the last 27 years, according to figures released by the U.S. authorities.

Source: Xinhua