Iran and Egypt move 'closer together'

As the cry to combat terrorism gains momentum across the world, Cairo and Tehran are building bilateral bridges and acting to close Islamic ranks, write Soha Abdelaty and Nevine Khalil
By condemning the 11 September attacks against the US, Iran found itself a willing partner in the global campaign to combat terrorism. And while it does not seem to mind jumping on the bandwagon, Iran has very specific preconditions before it embraces Western views on who the perpetrators are, and how to punish them. Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi toured a number of Arab capitals this week, sounding out their reactions to the US-led fight against terrorism.
Kharazi was in Cairo on Sunday to coordinate the Iranian and Egyptian positions on the anticipated American retaliation against Afghanistan -- host to America's No 1 suspect terrorist Osama Bin Laden. Kharazi's visit was part of a regional tour that included Syria and Lebanon, and that also preceded an emergency meeting of foreign ministers of the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on 10 October in Doha, Qatar. The goal of the tour was to streamline positions before the Doha meeting.
Tehran's effort appears to have succeeded. Kharazi told reporters after meeting with President Hosni Mubarak that "there is complete understanding between Egypt and Iran regarding ways of combating terrorism at the roots. Our positions are clear, and we are convinced that terrorism should not be dealt with in a superficial manner, but it is necessary to know its cause."
Diplomatic relations between Egypt and Iran were severed in 1979 following the Iranian Islamic Revolution, and ties were further strained when Egypt hosted the ousted Shah of Iran. Tehran later renamed one of its major thoroughfares after one of the assassins of President Anwar El- Sadat. Khaled El-Islambouli street remains a thorn in the side of bilateral relations to this day.
Kharazi told reporters, however, that he and his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Maher were "assigned" by their respective leaderships to "work on bridging the gap between the two countries." Kharazi added that "significant steps" towards that end have been taken. "We are closer than in the past," he noted. Maher agreed, saying that Kharazi's meetings "served to bring us closer together," although a resumption of full diplomatic ties was not discussed during the talks with Mubarak. Maher added, however, that "the issue of diplomatic relations is on the table, but let's not talk about a specific time-frame."
The two sides already see eye- to-eye on a number of issues. Kharazi reiterated the Egyptian position that criticised some countries in the West which have for years given refuge to suspected Islamist militants. "We should not apply double standards when dealing with terrorism," noted Kharazi. "At a time when countries in the West harbour some terrorist elements, there is only talk about fighting terrorism in Islamic countries."
Both Cairo and Tehran also agree that a distinction should be drawn between terrorism and the Palestinians' right to fight Israeli occupation. "We need to make a distinction between terrorism and a people's legitimate right to self-defence and resisting occupation," said Kharazi. Kharazi questioned the logic of the West when it "turns a blind eye to terrorist acts undertaken by Israel [against the Palestinians], and labels the people of the Middle East, who are defending themselves, as terrorists."
The Iranian envoy also supported Egypt's call for a UN- sponsored conference to combat terrorism, adding that a "dialogue between civilisations under the umbrella of the UN" must also be launched. "There are extremists in the Arab as well as the Western world working to ignite a clash of civilisations," warned Kharazi.
To deal with recent events, Iranian officials feel that Islamic ranks should be closed. "I believe the leaders of the Islamic world, especially the heavyweights such as Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have a duty to consolidate an Islamic position in such sensitive circumstances," he told a news conference at the Iranian interests section of the Swiss Embassy in Cairo, which has been looking after Tehran's interests since the diplomatic rupture.
However, Iran's position on the American war against terrorism partially differs from that of Egypt, and other OIC members such as Pakistan. Stamping out terrorism at the roots, according to Tehran, should not include a military strike against Afghanistan. Despite the fact that Iran offers military assistance to the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, it vehemently objects to US strikes against Kabul. "In principle, we are against US military action against any Arab or Islamic country," said Kharazi, listing a number of prerequisites before such strikes are acceptable. These include that the US furnish hard evidence against elements residing in a certain country; and that strikes would not harm innocent civilians. "But in the final analysis, using military force will not solve anything," counselled Kharazi. "Instead, one should eradicate terrorism at the root."
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