Iranian official denies report Iranian, Egyptian, U.S. presidents will meet in Sept.

TEHRAN, Aug.12(MNA) – An Iranian official dismissed a Washington Times report claiming that Iranian, Egyptian, and U.S. presidents are scheduled to meet in New York in September. The Washington Times on Tuesday quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi will meet on the sidelines of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, which will open at the UN Headquarters in New York on September 18. In addition, the paper reported that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has invited U.S. President Barack Obama to join Iranian and Egyptian presidents at a VIP lunch on September 25, when the general debate will open. Mohammad Reza Forqani, the director of the international affairs section of the Presidential Office, dismissed the report and said, “Publishing such a report by the Washington Times daily is a media commotion.” The Washington Times also claimed that it had obtained a list of diplomats and leaders who are expected to attend the assembly meeting: - French President Francois Hollande, who was elected in May, will make his first address to the assembly on September 25. - British Prime Minister David Cameron will address the assembly on September 26. - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who was formally appointed in September, will address the assembly for the first time on September 26. - South African President Jacob Zuma also will make an address on September 26. According to the report, notable absences include Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao, both of whom have vetoed UN Security Council resolutions for stronger action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai also will not attend the assembly. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend but will send Defense Minister Ehud Barak in his stead. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to pursue statehood recognition for his people when he addresses the assembly on September 29.