By Amr Shaheen BBC Sport, Cairo

Egypt's minister is confident of winning the bid

Egypt's sports minister said his country deserves to host the 2010 World Cup because of its 'leadership in African sport.'

"We are not into empty talk because we are serious and focussed," said Dr. Alie El Din Hilal.

He went on to state that he could "confirm that Egypt will submit a bid to Fifa in due course. The issue of withdrawal is not on our agenda."

He admitted the enthusiasm of Egyptian fans to host this 'once in a lifetime' event is a driving force behind the bid and insisted that his country is safe enough to host the world, despite the current war in the Middle East.

"I believe that no other country at this moment has the facilities and infrastructure that we have to host this event.

"However, it is not a matter of life or death for us. It is a fair competition between African brothers."

The minister said steps have been taken to boost the reputation of Egypt in international sporting circles.

"We hired a high profile European public relations company to help us with our profile."

But a final decision on the nature of Egypt's formal bid would be made after consultation with the Egyptian Football Association(EFA)and the government.