Maher: Egyptian- Iranian contacts to normalize relations

Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Maher yesterday talked about contacts being held between Egypt and Iran in order to normalize diplomatic relations between the two countries. However, the matter requires time, he commented.

This was expressed in statements to press following his meeting with his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharazi, on the sideline of the meeting of the OIC foreign ministers.

Maher said that a progress was attained in previous meetings between officials in the two countries, noting the efforts made in this regard as a result of the importance of the issue of normalization of relations between Iran and Egypt.

The Egyptian minister expected a settlement for pending issues between the two sides.

Iran's foreign minister, for his part, stressed that there is an improvement in the relations between his country and Egypt. He said that "atmospheres have greatly improved in comparison with the past and we are trying patiently to solve our problems." He added that the talks he had held with Maher dealt with means of strengthening bilateral relations.

In January this year, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt ruled out the occurrence of any normalization between Cairo and Tehran, accusing Iran of sheltering "Egyptian terrorists." In 1979 Tehran severed relations with Egypt which hosted then the toppled Shah of Iran and signed peace agreement with Israel in the same year. However, relations have been improved in recent years and political meetings were repeated between senior officials and each of the two sides opened an office of "interests serving" in the other's capital.

Such closeness has not reached the extent of resuming relations as Egypt persists on that the Iranian authority has to remove the name of Khaled al-Islambuli, one of the participants in the assassination of the late President Anwar al-Sadat, from one of Tehran's streets.