Significant steps

The meeting between President Mubarak and President Khatami in Geneva last month marked a significant step in the rapprochement between Egypt and Iran. It had been preceded by several meetings at foreign minister level which paved the way for a thaw in relations between Cairo and Tehran.

If progress has been slow the latest Iranian initiative -- changing the name of the Tehran street named after Sadat's assassin, Khaled El-Islambouli -- should be viewed as a clear message to Cairo to move faster along the road to full restoration of ties. That initiative was itself preceded by President Mubarak's swift response to the earthquake that devastated the ancient city of Bam, establishing an air bridge for Egyptian humanitarian assistance to the afflicted city.

The momentum already established must not be allowed to slacken. Strengthened ties are a strategic imperative for both Egypt and Iran, not least because both Cairo and Tehran view stability in Iraq as a cornerstone of regional security. Iraq's future, and regional stability, are contingent upon maintaining Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity. The alternatives -- ethnic and sectarian conflict -- are too nightmarish to contemplate.

The capture of Saddam Hussein, the signing by both Iran and Libya of nuclear non-proliferation protocols, and Egypt's ongoing demands to make the Middle East a region free of weapons of mass destruction, are significant developments that can, and should, be used to bring pressure to bear on Israel to decommission its own massive stockpile of WMDs.

Egypt must now use its strong relations with the US to help establish a three-way dialogue with Washington aimed at achieving greater transparency in dealing with regional crises, particularly in Palestine and Iraq.