President Hosni Mubarak attended part of the meetings of the National Democratic Party's employment and investment committee, which is one of the NDP's specialized policies committees, held Saturday afternoon.

          

The meetings were held within the framework of the NDP's ninth congress.

          

The meetings were attended by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, People's Assembly Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sorour and Shura Council Speaker Safwat el-Sherif and a number of ministers.

        

During the meetings, Minister of Economic Development Osman Mohamed Osman said the economic growth rate is expected to increase during the period 2007/2012 from 7% to 9%.

        

Unemployment rates will go down to 5%, he added.

        

The economic growth rate during the last two years surged to an average of 7% or two times the growth rate achieved in the first three years of the five-year plan between 2001 and 2004.