Egypt hopes to boost relations with Iran

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa expressed hopes toward developing Egyptian - Iranian relations positively as soon as possible. He added the Egypt had received this week in Cairo a large Iranian economic delegation.

"I personally met with the delegation," he said, adding "We hope this move in bilateral relations will proceed on a positive track." Moussa continued, saying that dialogue is open between the two countries, noting "continuous contacts between Egypt and Iran in the context of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the foreign ministers of the two countries.

Moussa also expressed hopes that the agreement between Iraq and UNSCOM would lead to removing the sanctions from Iraq immediately. This came as a reply at the journalists questions about the agreement ratified by UNSCOM chief Richard Butler with Iraq.

Concerning the concluding statement issued from the summit of European Union in Britain, Moussa said that this statement expresses a clear position by the European Union toward Palestine and its right of self-determination. He added that the statement expresses that the EU is concerned with playing a political and economic role in the peace process.

On Thursday Amr Moussa strongly supported the call of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri for resuming the peace process along the Syrian and Lebanese tracks at the point from which they stopped, saying: "We call for rescuing the peace process along all tracks."