By Tom Perry as well as Yasmine Saleh
CAIRO Tue Feb 5, 2013 12:02pm EST
CAIRO (Reuters) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ended up being both kissed and scolded upon Tuesday when your dog initiated the primary take a look at to Egypt through an Iranian us president considering that Tehran's 1979 Islamic revolution.
The journey has been designed to underline your thaw within associations considering that Egyptians elected an Islamist brain involving state, President Mohamed Mursi, very last June. But in addition , it underlined strong theological and also geopolitical differences.
Mursi, a new fellow member from the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood, kissed Ahmadinejad after this individual landed during Cairo airport plus gave your pet a crimson carpeting wedding reception using military honors. Ahmadinejad beamed as they shook fingers having holding out dignitaries.
But your Shi'ite Iranian leader received a inflexible rebuke when they found Egypt's foremost Sunni Muslim scholar after at Cairo's historic al-Azhar mosque in addition to university.
Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, travel on the 1,000-year-old chair with religious learning, urged Iran to help refrain from interfering in Gulf Arab states, to recognize Bahrain being a "sisterly Arab nation" as well as rejected your extension involving Shi'ite Muslim affect with Sunni countries, a declaration out of al-Azhar said.
Visiting Cairo to attend an Islamic summit of which commences on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad informed a announcement discussion he anticipated his trip will be "a innovative commencing issue in relations somewhere between us".
However, a older cleric from your Egyptian seminary, Hassan al-Shafai, who came out down him, explained that meeting had degenerated straight into an change of theological differences.
"There ensued several misunderstandings about certain issues that could have a great relation to this cultural, political and interpersonal climate with each countries," Shafai said.
"The problems ended up this kind of how the awesome sheikh noticed that will the actual meeting . didn't serve the specified purpose."
The check out would have been impossible through principle connected with Hosni Mubarak, that military-backed autocrat exactly who preserved Egypt's calmness treaty having Israel while in his 30 years around electric power and deepened ties in between Cairo as well as the West.
"The political geography from the spot will switch whenever Iran and Egypt have a unified position upon the Palestinian question," Ahmadinejad explained in an appointment with Al Mayadeen, a Beirut-based TV station, for the eve involving his trip.
He stated this individual desired to visit the Gaza Strip, the particular Palestinian territory which in turn neighbours Egypt to help the distance and is particularly run from the Islamist activity Hamas. "If some people allow for it, I would go to Gaza to arrive at the people," Ahmadinejad said.
Analysts uncertainty which the ancient improvements this produced Mursi for you to strength will end in a full repair associated with diplomatic scarves in between expresses in whose contact had been shattered off following on from the conclusion with Egypt's peacefulness treaty along with Israel inside 1979.
OBSTACLES TO FULL TIES
At the actual air port the 2 commanders discussed ways connected with bettering operations and solving the Syrian crisis "without resorting to navy intervention", Egyptian express storage devices reported.
Egypt is anxious simply by Iran's support with regard to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who will be trying to smash an uprising influenced from the revolt that swept Mubarak from power 24 months ago. Egypt's overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim inhabitants are openheartedly loyal involving your uprising in opposition to Assad's Alawite-led administration.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr searched for to reassure Gulf Arab allies - which are supporting Cairo's battered condition finances and so are profoundly concered about Iran - which Egypt would not risk their security.
"The stability of the Gulf says is a protection associated with Egypt," he said around remarks announced simply by your endorsed MENA announcement agency.
Mursi wishes to help keep ties considering the United States, the way to obtain $1.3 billion around assist per year towards the influential Egyptian military.
"The restoration connected with complete relations using Iran on this period of time will be difficult, despite that heat in ties . as a result of several problems like Syrian crisis and Cairo's links using the Gulf states, Israel along with the United States," reported one particular original Egyptian diplomat.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi explained your dog ended up being positive that scarves might grow closer.
"We are usually slowly improving. We need to be somewhat patient. I'm pretty encouraged regarding the enlargement from the bilateral relationship," he / she shared with Reuters. Asked where they saw bedroom with regard to finer ties, your dog said: "Trade along with economics."
Egypt and Iran have got considered other training because the later part of 1970s. Egypt, under Mubarak's forerunner Anwar Sadat, deducted some sort of peace treaty having Israel with 1979 along with turned your close up fically on the United States in addition to Europe. Iran from 1979 flipped into a facility regarding weight for you to Western influence while in the Middle East.
Symbolically, Iran named your street throughout Tehran following your Islamist exactly who brought the 1981 assassination of Sadat.
Egypt gifted asylum along with a assert funeral in order to Iran's exiled Shah Reza Pahlavi, who had been overthrown in the particular 1979 Iranian revolution. He is actually laid to rest throughout a mosque beside Cairo's mediaeval Citadel down their ex-brother-in-law, Egypt's continue king, Farouk.
(Additional confirming by Ayman Samir, Marwa Awad as well as Alexander Diadosz; Writing by way of Paul Taylor along with Tom Perry; Editing by way of Andrew Roche in addition to Robin Pomeroy)
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