Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi, at a press conference on Tuesday, announced his intentions of improving relations between Egypt and Iran, while simultaneously attempting to achieve a reconcilliation with key Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah. Al-Arabi said that communications between Cairo and Tehran are directed at achieving normalization between Egypt and Iran at some future point. “Egypt, after the revolution, must have good relationships with all countries,” Al-Arabi told reporters, commenting that his latest statements on Iran had resulted in good reports on Egypt from Iran. “The Iranian chargé d'affaires to Cairo, Mojtaba Amani, came to meet me yesterday and invited me to visit Tehran on behalf of the Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, who expressed a wish to visit Egypt, although a decision has not yet been taken,” al- Arabi said. Egyptian-Iranian relations have been cut since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, when Cairo gave refuge to the ousted Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. “Egypt didn't cut relations with Iran. It was Iran that cut them in 1979,” al-Arabi said. Iran was further angered when Egypt signed a peace agreement with Israel. The Mubarak regime warned continually of the Shia power represented by Iran, a warning repeated by other countries across the region, particularly in light of Iran's nuclear ambitions and support for the Lebanese Hizbullah and Palestinian Hamas movements. Al-Arabi also announced on Tuesday that Egypt is making serious efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation through communications with both Fatah and Hamas. He told reporters that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Egypt on Wednesday to discuss various issues. He also referred to his talks with Hamas and Fatah delegations in Cairo last week, adding that another Hamas delegation will visit Egypt next week. The minister said Egypt will continue with the Palestinian reconciliation process, especially since genuine efforts are already being made. The announcement comes after Hamas leadership member Mahmoud al-Zahar on Monday said the group has initiated reconciliation talks with Fatah. Egypt, which is mediating the talks, indefinitely postponed the signing of a reconciliation agreement after Hamas rejected it on 15 October, 2009. Al-Zahar said that Egypt has informed Hamas, Fatah and other Palestinian factions that it will not directly participate in the talks, as it had before. He added that Egypt has said it will let Palestinians make an agreement themselves at any place they choose, with the agreement to be announced from Cairo.
