Egyptian Official Calls for Restoration of Tehran-Cairo TiesIran and Egypt should restore diplomatic relations as soon as possible, as postponement of relations "is not beneficial" to either side, an Egyptian official said in Tehran Monday, Decembe 4."Though there might be some discords between Iran and Egypt, we should learn to realize our common interests and have continuous cooperation for strengthening and developing relations," Mohammad Tahtawi, head of Egypt's interests section in Iran, was quoted as saying. Speaking at a panel discussion on Iran-Egypt relations at Tehran's Tarbiat Modarres University, Tahtawi stressed that the establishment of ties between the two countries "is not a minor issue, rather a necessity and a very crucial matter." He said common interests between the two countries are much more important than the "minor differences" between them, and only by getting together can the two countries achieve economic progress and preserve their security. According to the official, one of the two countries should take the first step to "remove the misunderstandings on fundamental issues" and "pull down the wall of mistrust." Iran severed relations with Egypt soon after the 1979 Islamic revolution for its signing of a peace accord with Israel and sheltering of the toppled Iranian shah. Iran also accused Egypt of helping Iraq during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war in 1980-88. Egypt, however, blamed Iran for supporting extremist groups in Egypt and naming a street in Tehran after the assassin of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. The ice between the two countries began to thaw from the early 1990s and they now have interests sections in each other's capital. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak telephoned his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khatami on June 21 to discuss bilateral relations, which marked the first direct top-level contact between the two sides in 20 years and was considered a prelude to normalization of relations. |
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