CAIRO: Iran claimed Monday that the process of normalization with Egypt is currently underway. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told reporters that talks are underway between Cairo and Tehran to reach this aim. Qashqavi also sent a warning to Cairo advising them not to allow "marginal issues to influence the direction of developing further ties and mutual cooperation. On a more reconciliatory note, he said that both Iran and Egypt have great histories and rich civilizations and this would form the backbone of cementing ties between them. The comments were made on Oct. 6 as Egypt celebrated the victory of the 1973 war it launched against Israel. Qashqavi's comments also come a day after Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit paid a visit to Baghdad, the first such visit since 1990 and indicated that Egypt was willing to send a new ambassador to Iraq. The last Egyptian ambassador to Iraq, Ihab El-Sherif, was kidnapped and killed in 2005. On this Aboul Gheit said, "Egypt has lost a good citizen on Iraqi soil. This has kept us a little bit away on the official level. Egypt has not had relations with Iran since the Islamic revolution of 1979 and late President Anwar Sadat's acceptance of exile for Iran's previous ruler, Shah Reza Pahlavi. The killer of Sadat, Khaled El Eslambouli was honored by Tehran with a street named after him. Although Tehran's council officially changed the name of the street to Intifada Avenue, Eslambouli's name still remains on the placards of the road. Relations have become more fraught between the two countries over Iraq, with Egypt accusing Iran of helping further destabilize the war-torn country.
