Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak met Tuesday in Egypt with the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) James Mattis, as part of the US commander's first regional tour since taking the post in August, DPA reported.
Following the meeting, Mattis commended Egypt for its role in the Middle East peace process and said it was a pivotal country in the region.
The meeting was also attended by long-serving Egyptian Defence Minister Mohammed Tantawi and US Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey.
CENTCOM, which is based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, is responsible for military affairs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and serves as a US military command centre for other Muslim-majority countries such as Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
There are small numbers of Egyptian, Jordanian, Kuwaiti and Saudi troops, among others, stationed in CENTCOM that work alongside US forces there.