President Mubarak said that Egypt did not and will never give up the rights of its sons and martyrs. The President said that we shall take the necessary measures if it was proved that Egyptian prisoners of war were killed during the war of 1967.

The President said, however, we should make sure of the authenticity of these reports, he added.

Mubarak said he has assigned Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit and other Egyptian parties to tackle the issue and document it to help bring those who committed war crimes against our martyrs to justice.

The President said that the Egyptian army had not fought in the 1967 war due to a lack of command and control of our troops in Sinai.

But the October 1973 victory has become a source of pride for the Egyptian military, he added.

Touching on domestic affairs, Mubarak said that the new constitutional amendments were no privilege to the President.

But the amendments aim to secure Egypt's future and broaden the scope of the popular participation in the decision-making process, he added.

Mubarak said the amendments are meant to strengthen the political parties and facilitate their participation in the coming presidential elections.

No body has the right to impose his opinion on the people or deny them the right to express their opinion, Mubarak said.

The President said he will review in person the achievement of the aspired-for goals of the amendments.

On the Arab affairs, Mubarak said Egypt is making necessary contacts to secure the success of the Riyadh Arab summit.

He underlined the need to remove all causes of sedition and help achieve reconciliation between the Lebanese.

Mubarak said no amendments will be introduced into the Arab Peace Initiative.

The President noted that there was no contradiction between Egyptian efforts to close the Arab ranks and those made by other Arab countries.

We welcome any support to the Egyptian efforts to close the Arab ranks and maintain the Arab rights, he added.

Mubarak said regional and international challenges require the world to waste no time to establish peace in the Mideast.

Back to the home affairs, Mubarak said that Egypt has clear programmes to develop and modernize the society, draw more investments and create new job opportunities.

Mubarak said the proposed anti-terror law aims to protect the society against terrorist threats. It also aims to protect public freedoms, he said.

The anti-terror law will be only used to fight terrorism, Mubarak stressed.

On Iraq, President Mubarak said Egypt has been making intensive efforts with the international community to help end the sectarian division in Iraq.

Mubarak warned that a sudden US withdrawal from Iraq would cause a collapse in the war-torn country.

Mubarak described ties between Egypt and the United States as strategic, adding that Egyptian-US ties were based on mutual respect.

The US is a superpower and Egypt is a regional power that maintains stability in the region, he added.

The US is a major economic partner to Egypt, he said, noting that efforts were going on to boost partnership between the two countries.

An Egyptian knock-door mission is currently visiting the US to draw more investments, President Hosni Mubarak said.

Mubarak said he is having constant contacts with US President George W. Bush.

US officials are also keen on visiting Egypt whenever they come to the region, Mubarak said, adding that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would visit Egypt late in March.

The two countries are working together to push forward the Mideast peace process and to remove obstacles hindering the resumption of peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis, he said.

We are also working on easing tension between the US and Syria, he added.

Mubarak said the proposed anti-terror law is designed to tackle terrorism.

The President said he gave instructions to have a hands-on experience on anti-terror legislation applied in other democratic countries while drafting the Egyptian anti-terror law in order to help strike a balance between protection of the society and maintaining public freedoms.

The Egyptian people are the only one entitled to accept or reject the amendments through a referendum, he said.

No one can impose his will on the people, he stressed.

Mubarak said the constitutional amendments aim to enhance the parliament's role and broaden authorities of the cabinet.

The amendments are also meant to draft the best election system to guarantee representation of political parties in the parliament, Mubarak added.

The amendments also aim to grant women the chance to be represented in the parliament, develop the municipalities, boost the decentralization process and grant greater opportunities for the parties to take part in the presidential elections, he stressed.

Mubarak urged the Egyptian people to take part in the coming referendum on the proposed constitutional amendments.

The President said that the Egyptian economy was progressing.

We are moving on the right track, he added.