TEHRAN: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a group of Egyptians on Wednesday that he wanted to see an "anti-Zionist and anti-arrogance" Egypt.
"We must see to it that Iran and Egypt are two developed, powerful countries, anti-arrogance (Iran’s shorthand for the West) and anti-Zionist," the official news agency Irna quoted the president as telling a group of Egyptian intellectuals, religious figures and young revolutionaries.
Following the fall of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, Tehran and Cairo have raised the possibility of resuming diplomatic relations. These were broken in 1980 because of Iran’s opposition to the Israeli-Egyptian peace accord.
Ahmadinejad added: "One of my dreams is to go to Egypt… As soon as I receive an invitation from Egyptian officials I will go immediately and with pride to Egypt."
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was reported as saying that Iran was optimistic about normalizing ties with Cairo despite the expulsion by Egypt of an Iranian diplomat on Monday on suspicion of spying.
Salehi said the diplomat’s expulsion was a misunderstanding that had been resolved. He did not elaborate.
