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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 June 1999 Issue No. 435 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 June 1999 Issue No. 435
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Comment
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Interview Travel Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Open doors to Tehran
Abdel-Azim HammadSince he took office two years ago, moderate Iranian President Mohammed Khatami has sought to restore his country's relations with its neighbours and the world community. In particular the Iranian president has taken steps to improve his country's ties with neighbouring Saudi Arabia. The extent of Khatami's success can be measured by the statements of Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdel-Aziz following Khatami's unprecedented visit to Riyadh last month. Prince Sultan acknowledged that Iran, like any other nation, had every right to possess the weapons it needed to defend its own security. He did not see Iran as a threat to the region's security.
Given the long standing strategic links between Cairo and Riyadh, its understandable that the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran did not occur without constant consultations and coordination between Saudi and Egyptian leaders. The Syrians were also involved in effecting a reconciliation between Iran and its Arab neighbours.
On the Egyptian front, the Iranian leadership announced its readiness recently to respond to one of Egypt's key demands to normalise ties. Iranian Parliament Speaker Nateq Nouri, regarded as a hard-liner within Iran, said that his government was ready to change the name of one of Tehran's streets named after the assassin of the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat -- Khaled El-Islambouli -- if this would improve ties with Egypt. The extremist Iranian group, Ansar Hizbullah group, responded angrily to Nouri's concession by unveiling a huge portrait of Islambouli in the same street. However top officials in both countries remained unperturbed by the move. One foreign ministry official said "we do not want to concentrate on such minor issues." Foreign Minister Amr Moussa had the same reaction when Iran demanded that Egypt remove the grave of the late Shah from one of Cairo's mosques. Moussa replied that "such an idea is incredible and we have not received this request. What is certain is that Iranian-Egyptian relations should not remain tense."
The most serious obstacle to improving ties between Egypt and Iran might be the ongoing crisis between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the ownership of three Gulf islands. The fact that the UAE is taking the issue of the three islands very seriously was evident in the latest Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers meeting in Riyadh. The ministers failed to reach a final statement due to Abu Dhabi's dissatisfaction with the recent warming of relations between Riyadh and Tehran. UAE officials complained that the GCC countries were no longer giving priority to the territorial issue and had not even bothered to raise it in their meetings with Iranian officials. However it is hoped that Qatari mediation efforts between UAE and Saudi Arabia will help heal the rift between the GCC countries. Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Al-Thani visited both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on Saturday and officials accompanying him said he had managed to achieve positive results.
Egypt has always maintained close relations with UAE and its President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan. In recent statements Foreign Minister Moussa clearly stated that achieving progress in the dispute over the three occupied UAE islands is one of Egypt's key conditions to improving ties with Iran. He added that any settlement between the two parties should be reached through negotiation.
A top Egyptian official supported Moussa's statements by telling the Weekly that Cairo was in no hurry to normalise ties with Iran. Egypt would continue its contacts with the Iranian leadership in an effort to convince them to adopt a more flexible stand in the dispute with the UAE over the three islands. Statements made this week during an Arab tour by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi, claiming that the "three islands will always remain Iranian land" will not ease Egypt's mission.
Egypt's keenness to improve ties with Iran is based on regional strategic interests for both countries. Serious steps are expected to be taken after President Hosni Mubarak's re-election for a fourth term in October and after new parliamentary elections have taken place in Iran. The hope is that these elections will consolidate the more moderate elements within the Iranian regime thus enabling Iran to improve its ties with its neighbours. President Mubarak, in recent statements, said that Egypt did not have any serious problems with Iran. He added that Tehran was no longer accused of interfering in its neighbour's affairs or of supporting alleged terrorist organisations.
Cairo also regards Tehran as an asset in supporting Arab and Islamic causes in several fields. Iran, since its revolution, has used its historic and regional influence to support the Palestinian cause. In addition Cairo thinks that Iran will play a prominent role in any future negotiations on disarmament in the Middle East particularly in relation to weapons of mass destruction and expects Iran's support it in any negotiations.
Iran also realises that failing to cooperate with its Arab neighbours could only lead to its isolation and an intensification of US and Israeli threats to its security. The establishment of strong ties with the Arab world could be the key factor in refuting the US claim that super-power presence in the region is needed in order to protect Gulf countries from hostile threats from Iran or Iraq.
