07 March 2004	Sunday	15 Muharram 1425

PARIS, March 6: French President Jacques Chirac on Friday backed Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak in his opposition to a US initiative for political and economic reform in the Middle East, saying the plan amounted to "interference".

The two held talks after Mr Mubarak arrived in Paris earlier in the day as part of a three-nation tour designed to warn key European partners of the dangers of the "Greater Middle East" initiative.

The US plan aims to encourage democratic and economic reform in the Arab world and other Muslim countries in a bid to deprive international extremists of the reservoir of frustration and poverty they thrive on for support.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have criticized the initiative, fearing Washington wants to impose its own cultural models on the region.-AFP