Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Egypt, Iran moving towards normalization

Jerusalem Post

At the end of a rare visit to Egypt, a senior Iranian envoy said Tuesday the two regional Muslim heavyweights are making progress in normalizing diplomatic relations, cut nearly three decades ago over regional policy disagreements.

"There is no major problem and everything is moving forward," Ali Larijani, from Iran's powerful National Security Council, said after talks here with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Larijani, who is also a close aide to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, described the talks as "positive and constructive."

Teheran cut diplomatic ties after Cairo signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1979 and provided asylum for the deposed Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Iran's support for Iraqi Shi'ites, Lebanon's Hizbullah and the Palestinian terror organization Hamas has further deteriorated relations, resulting in very limited diplomatic contacts between the two countries.

Egypt has always maintained that normal ties with Iran would come only after Iran stopped meddling in internal affairs of Arab countries.....

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