Egypt hopes for IMF deal by end-April - minister

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt hopes to conclude a deal with the International Monetary Fund for a $4.8 billion (3.1 billion pounds) loan by the end of April, the investment minister said on Thursday.

"We have hope, God willing, that we can, by the end of April complete the loan," Osama Saleh, the investment minister, told journalists. Earlier, the state-run newspaper al-Ahram reported that the government would formally invite an IMF team on Thursday to reopen talks on a deal.