A monument bearing the portrait of President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was unveiled yesterday in the Egyptian Red Sea port city of Al Ismailiya.

A ceremony on the occasion was held at city's main square and attended by Ahmed Ali Al Mail Al Za'abi, UAE ambassador to Cairo, Major General Fouad Saad Eldin, Governor of Al Isamailiya and a number of city's residents.

The main square was named after Sheikh Zayed in appreciation of his commendable role in the reconstruction of the Suez Canal area, within which Al Isamailiya lies, in the wake of the October 1973 war between Egypt and Israel.

Major General Fouad Saad Eldin said that the ceremony was a portrayal of love and gratitude the Egyptian people in general and residents of Al Ismailiya in particular had had for Sheikh Zayed for "his major contributions to the reconstruction of the city after the return of once its repatriated dwellers."

The governor of Al Ismailiya described his country's relations with the UAE as "age-old and a reflection of the strong relations linking the leaders of both countries."