Iranian FM discusses Gaza trip with Egyptian counterpart

TEHRAN, Nov. 20 (MNA) - Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi announced on Sunday that he had recently held a telephone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr about his plan to visit Gaza. Salehi made the remarks during a press conference after the Syrian national dialogue meeting, which was held in Tehran on the theme of “No to Violence, Yes to Democracy.” The meeting was extended into a second day. Salehi stated that during the telephone conversation, he asked the Egyptian foreign minister to help make the necessary preparations for his trip to Gaza, which has recently come under major attacks by Israel. It was reported on November 17 that Salehi intended to inspect the situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip and reiterate Iran’s support for the resistance movement in Palestine. According to the report, a number of MPs were scheduled to accompany Salehi during his possible trip. An Iranian parliamentary delegation once intended to visit Gaza during the rule of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who stepped down on February 11, 2011, but was not allowed to make the trip. The Islamic Republic of Iran cut diplomatic ties with Egypt in 1979 because Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel and offered asylum to former Iranian dictator Mohammad Reza Pahlavi after he was deposed. Relations between Iran and Egypt began to thaw after the election of Egypt’s new president, Mohamed Morsi, who assumed office on June 30, 2012. However, full diplomatic relations between the two countries have not been restored yet.