Egypt said it would like European Union states to cancel its debts to them but has not made a formal request, the EU's local delegation said on Monday, citing the Egyptian finance minister.

The minister, Samir Radwan, made the comment to the European Union ambassador in Egypt, Marco Franco, in a meeting on Sunday, said a spokeswoman for the EU in Cairo.

"The ambassador met the minister of finance yesterday and they did discuss the financial situation," the spokeswoman said. "The cancellation of debts was mentioned as something that Egypt would like to see, but there was no formal request."

An EU source in Cairo told Ahram Online, "The EU does not lend to Egypt as a bloc, rather there are bilateral debts between Egypt and some members. The ambassador took note of Egypt's wishes."

The Ministry of International Co-operation was not available for comment.