Iranian FM may visit Gaza

TEHRAN,Nov.18(MNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi plans to visit Gaza provided that preparations for his trip are made. Salehi intends to inspect the situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip, which has recently been attacked by Israel, and reiterate Iran’s support for the resistance movement in Palestine. It has not yet been announced whether or not the Egyptian government has agreed to the visit. A number of MPs would be accompanying Salehi during his possible trip. An Iranian parliamentary delegation once intended to visit Gaza during the 30-year rule of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who stepped down on February 11, 2011, but was not allowed to make the trip. The Islamic Republic of Iran cut diplomatic ties with Egypt in 1979 because Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel and offered asylum to former Iranian dictator Mohammad Reza Pahlavi after he was deposed. Relations between Iran and Egypt began to thaw after the election of Egypt’s new president, Mohamed Morsi, who assumed office on June 30, 2012. However, full diplomatic relations between the two countries have not been restored yet.