Iran called on Egyptian officials Saturday to muster courage necessary to establish full relations with Tehran and resist opposition by United States and Israel. “Cairo must make an independent decision to draw the two countries close,” said Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Akbar Saleh. Mahmoud Farag, former Egyptian ambassador in Tehran, said that “reestablishing relations after so long a rupture requires representatives from both countries to meet and develop a framework for relations between Cairo and Tehran.” He pointed out that, due to problems created by Mubarak's regime that hindered normalization between Cairo and Tehran, the current circumstances fail to give space for a quick resumption of relations. He stressed the need for resuming relations in a realistic way and within a specific framework without presenting unrealistic goals. Dr. Manar al-Shorbagy, a political science professor at Cairo University, criticized proposals to resume relations with Tehran, stressing that dozens of other diplomatic options to improve relations with other states would not have negative effects on Egypt's interests. Translated from the Arabic Edition
