Cairo, May 19: Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh, who is representing India at World Economic Forum on the Middle East in Egypt, is scheduled to meet Egyptian ministers this afternoon, to discuss bilateral issues.

The Minister is also scheduled to meet Investment Minister Dr. Mahmoud Safwat Mohyee El-Din, Minister for trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid, Minister for Finance Dr. Yousef Boutrous Ghali and Minister for Communication and Information Technology Dr. Tarek Mohamed Kamel Mahmoud.

Thirteen heads of state and government apart from leaders, business figures from over 55 countries are attending the three-day conference.

Global food prices, climate change, energy issues, economic sustainability, inflation, the international financial order and political instability are expected to be on top of the agenda.

Discussion at forum is designed to highlight the actions that need to be taken today to meet the challenges and opportunities for the region in the next 20 years.

Earlier, inaugurating the Forum, the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak blamed bio fuels for fuelling the rise in food prices.

He said International community needs to recalculate the cost of using agriculture for energy.

Addressing Middle East leaders at the Forum, US President George W Bush, on Sunday said that if they want to advance democracy and civil liberties in their region, they will have to work hard.

Bush presented the region's leaders with a long list which asks them to diversify their economies, enact political reforms that move toward democratic governments, allow greater participation in society for women and young people, and push back against the negative influence of regimes like Iran and Syria. (ANI)