U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday expressed regret to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for the killing of one Egyptian when a U.S. Navy chartered ship opened fire at an Egyptian boat Monday night near the Suez Canal, the Egyptian MENA news agency reported.
In a telephone conversation with Mubarak, Bush conveyed his hope that the tragic incident would not affect the friendly relations between the two countries.
Bush also noted that he had ordered the Pentagon to investigate what happened, according to MENA.
On Wednesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said that his country was "dismayed at the unacceptable incident", asserting that Egyptian ports are not open to whoever wants to open fire.
Earlier on Wednesday, the U.S. embassy in Cairo said it appears that an Egyptian was killed when "Global Patriot", a ship on short term charter to the U.S. Navy, fired warning shots at an approaching small boat as it was about to transit the Suez Canal.
Egyptian security sources on Tuesday said the incident left one Egyptian killed and two others wounded, but the U.S. embassy in Cairo initially denied reports of casualties.
Source:Xinhua
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