Egyptian politician stresses necessity for Tehran-Cairo rapprochement

A senior Egyptian politician, who is likely to contest in the country's next presidential election, said that Egypt has wide interests in normalizing ties with Tehran, adding that resumption of the relations between the two Muslim states would remove many controversies and differences. "Rapprochement with Iran is not just a strategic issue with mere political roots, but I believe companionship with Iran would lead to the settlement of many disagreements and differences," Ayman Nour, chairman of el-Ghad (Future) political party, told FNA in Cairo on Sunday. "Although there are also international sensitivities, Egypt's actual interests depend on the resumption and normalization of these ties, which means investment and utilization of the two sides' capabilities and regional cooperation while respecting each other's specific interests," he noted, adding that his party is not fearful of Iran's growing role and influence in the region. After the collapse of Hosni Mubarak's regime, the Iranian and Egyptian officials voiced their interest in the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries and Salehi officially invited the then Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Al-Arabi to pay a visit to Tehran. Later, the Iranian foreign minister and his former Egyptian counterpart also held a meeting in Bali, Indonesia. During the meeting which took place on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the two diplomats conferred on ways to promote the bilateral relations between Tehran and Cairo, and stressed the need for continued consultations in this regard.