Ahmadinejad: Restoring ties with Iran Egyptian politicians’ major concern

Tehran, Feb 9, IRNA – 12th Cairo OIC Summit Meeting was held in presence of IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who met with high ranking Egyptian officials, overshadowing the summit meeting with his historic presence at that ancient land. According to IRNA Friday night news team, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran had said last Tuesday before his departure for Cairo that this visit of his to Egypt would be the first visit of an Iranian president after the victory of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Egyptian Revolution. He had added, “This visit would also definitely overshadow the 34 year relations of the two countries and their marginal issues.” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who was heading a high ranking Iranian delegation comprised of President’s Advisor and Head of NAM Secretariat Office Esfndiar Rahim-Masha’ie, Head of Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Hojjatoleslam Hassan Mousavi, Treasure and Economy Minister Seyyed Shamsddin Hosseini, Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi, Petroleum Minister Rostam Qassemi and a number of other top Iranian officials was received at Cairo Airport officially by the Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi and a number of top Egyptian officials. ** Warm Welcome upon Arrival In addition to Egyptian officials, the Egyptian people’s warm welcome was among the beautiful moments of the Iranian president’s visit of the Egyptian ancient capital city, Cairo. Shortly after President Ahmadinejad’s arrival, the presidents of Iran and Egypt held their first round of talks right at the airport, after which they both expressed delight over the meeting. The issues of that bilateral discussion included the latest regional developments and ways for solving the lingering bloody Syria crisis, needless of military interference. ** Presence at Al-Az’har University The IRI President on the first day of his visit of Egypt had a meeting with the Sheikh of Al-Az’har Ahmad Tayyib and talks with him on issues of mutual interest. Sheikh Tayyib told President Ahmadinejad in the meeting, “We respect you as a personality who wishes to work for Islamic unity, regardless of your political responsibilities.” The prominent Sheikh of Al-Az’har added, “The Ulema of Al-Az’har’s efforts are aimed at uprooting Islamophobia, enmity against Shi’a Muslims, and disputes among Muslims of various Islamic schools of thought.” Sheikh of Ahmad Khatib reiterated, “Even if there is a dispute it must not lead to problems between the Shi’a and Sunni brethren in faith.” He expressed delight over the decree issued by the Supreme Leader on being forbidden of insulting the Prophet’s wives and disciples, adding, “We hope your ideas on Islamic unity and solidarity would come to reality among the world Muslims.” Ahmadinejad said after this meeting at a gathering of Al-Az’har professors and prominent clerics after holding a dialogue with them, “The Islamic world sources of jurisprudence and prominent clerics in Qum, Holy Najaf, and the Blessed Al-Az’har must be the standard bearers of saving the mankind and this is a shared mission of the entire Muslims.” He added, “We must introduce the exalted values of Islam to the world nations and get engaged in shared efforts aimed at establishment of justice around the globe.” The presence of Ahmadinejad at the management department of Al-Az’har University was broadly welcomed by the prominent clerics there and they listened to the Iranian president’s comments carefully, in many occasions confirming him by nodding their heads. President Ahmadinejad said in his address for the Al-Az’har prominent clergies, “I am no more than a simple scholar, giving a test at your presence, hoping to get a pass mark from you; assume I am defending my dissertation and you are judging it.” One of the Al-Az’har Ulema replied to this comment, “We give you a 100 pass mark.” The president at the end of his meeting with Al-Az’har clergies invited them to visit Iran and have a meeting with the sources of jurisprudence and the Iranian religious sites, which was welcomed by them wholeheartedly. The presence of Ahmadinejad at Al-Az’har was widely covered by the Egyptian, regional and international media. Sheikh of Al-Az’har before attending the meeting place received President Ahmadinejad and the two posed for the reporters and photojournalists. ** The Iranian Delegation at Cairo’s Ra’s ul-Hussain Paying homage to Al-Hussain (P) Mosque of Cairo was another program in IRI president’s agenda in his first visit of Egypt, where he was received warmly by the public. The Egyptian citizens had placards in their hands on which they had written “Welcome to Egypt” and received the president and his accompanying delegation warmly at this holy site. ** Presence among Egyptian Editors in Chief President Ahmadinejad on Tuesday night local time attended a meeting with the Egyptian top journalists and media representatives. Asked about the Iran-Egypt relations and ways for their expansion, he said, “In our historical mind, we imagine the Egyptian people as a great history building nation for whom we have great respect. Your land is a land of culture, civilization and humanity.” The president referred to the role of the Egyptian nation in the regional developments and highlighted their role in constructing an ideal future, reiterating, “The two nations of Iran and Egypt have lots of commonalties, and even the feeling and types of viewpoints about the region and the world are pretty close to each other.” He noted that Iran and Egypt resemble two brothers who were separated from each other for a long period, reiterating, “If today these brothers would unite hand in hand and boost each other’s political, economic and cultural capabilities, there would leave no way for bullying of the enemies of the mankind in the Islamic countries, and the conditions would rapidly change in favor of justice and the demands of the nations.” ** Meeting with a number of Islamic Countries’ Leaders President Ahmadinejad on the second day of his visit and before the beginning of the 12th OIC Summit Meeting met and conferred with a number of Islamic world heads of states, including the presidents of Turkey, Egypt, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Comoro, and the Head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas. In these meetings bilateral ties, important issues of the Islamic world, and crises in Syria, Palestine and Mali were discussed. ** Trilateral Meeting of Iranian, Egyptian and Turkish Presidents The trilateral meeting of the presidents of Iran, Egypt and Turkey on the sidelines of the Cairo OIC Summit Meeting was focused over seeking a solution for Syria crisis. In the trilateral meeting which took more than an hour the sides of discussion presented proposals and asked for an immediate end to massacre and bloodshed in Syria. It was agreed in the meeting that the ministers of foreign affairs of the three countries would have a series of meetings in which they would sum up the presented proposals and then present the result to the concerned officials so that the crisis there would God willing come to an end. Ahmadinejad at this meeting evaluated the trilateral meeting as “positive and constructive.” ** Resuming of Full Relations between Iran and Senegal Among the important achievements of the Iranian delegations’ visit of Egypt there was resuming the severed friendly relations between Iran and Senegal. The political communiqué on the matter was signed by the foreign ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the Cairo OIC Summit. According to the communiqué the initial agreement on the matter was reached in the course of President Ahmadinejad and President Maki’s bilateral talks on the sidelines of the 12th OIC Summit. ** Presence at Special Palestine Panel Discussion The president’s agenda included his presence at the Special Palestine Panel Discussion of the OIC Summit, whose theme was Occupation and Zionist Township Construction. President Ahmadinejad gave a comprehensive address at the panel discussion condemning occupation and asking taking advantage of the entire material and human resource of the world Muslims to end the atrocities observed against Palestinians. ** Exclusive Dialogue with Egyptian Media Representatives Interviews with Egypt’s Nile TV and Al-Ahram newspaper were among the other programs in IRI president’s visit of Cairo, which were on the 2nd day agenda of President Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad attracted the attention of the Egyptian media and people to the great significance of greater proximity between Tehran and Cairo in these interviews. He noted that in that case most of the regional and international equations would very soon be changed in favor of the two countries and the world Muslims. ** Condemnation of Terrorist Acts against Iranian Nuclear Scientists Among the important articles of the Closing Communiqué of the 12th OIC Summit there is an article on condemning terrorist acts, proposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The said closing communiqué has 170 articles whose other most important articles are condemnation of Israel’s attack against a research center in Syria, the need for nuclear-NPT member countries’ getting access to peaceful nuclear technology, the need for putting an end to the miseries of the Muslims in Myanmar, and condemn the Zionists’ moves in occupier Holy Qods (Jerusalem). ** An Egyptian Citizen’s Image of Ahmadinejad’s Pilgrimage President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s pilgrimage of the wholly site attributed to be the shine of Lady Zeinab at a mosque under the same name in Cairo and the sincere feelings expressed during that pilgrimage was among the interesting margins of this visit. An Egyptian citizen who had seen President Ahmadinejad crying bitterly at that site had said, “I had never assumed that the president of a great country, like Iran would all alone and jus true to piety and fear of God cries so bitterly t such a place. Seeing him doing so made me, too, cry.” ** President Ahmadinejad’s Address at the OIC Summit Meeting On the third day of his visit, on Thursday evening local time the Iranian president gave his address at the OIC Summit Meeting. He pointed out that I today’s word the international community and the Middle East nations are experiencing a very important historic era. He noted that the challenges ahead can be great opportunities, on condition that they would be well managed. ** Press Conference On Thursday evening President Ahmadinejad attended a press conference of Egyptian and international media, in which he against allocated the major part of his replied to praising the Iranian and Egyptian nations’ roles in world history and hoping that the 12th OIC Summit Meeting would be the beginning of harmony and cooperation between them. ** Meeting with Egyptian Elites On Thursday night the IRI President had a meeting and talk with Egyptian elite personalities. In this meeting which was held on the occasion of the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution and the Iranian president’s visit of Egypt at the residence of the Iranian Interest Section the Egyptian cultural personalities asked for efforts to be made to expand the two countries cultural ties. ** Meeting Amr Moussa The former secretary general of the Arab League and one of the prominent Egyptian politicians Amr Moussa had a meeting and talks with President Ahmadinejad. Referring to Islamic Republic of Iran’s promises for annihilation of Israel, he said that today the American institutes too, confirm that prediction, arguing that the time for it is within the next 20 to 15 years. ** End of Visit On Friday and last day of his visit before departing from Cairo Airport President Ahmadinejad was officially seen off by Egyptian official. Back in Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, too, he said that his visit was unique in its kind and might never happen again. He also spoke of the great enthusiasm of the Egyptian politicians for resuming full relations with Iran. He said that earlier on Friday he had visited the Egyptian Pyramids and the Sphinx and received the Egyptian side’s proposal for lifting visa requirement for tourists, which is very good and positive, and we too, announced that to show good will Iran unilaterally lifts both the tourist and the commercial visas for the Egyptians. “I think they got the message,” he added. Outside the airport there was a group of President Ahmadinejad’s supporters chanting welcoming slogans for him.