Article analyzes ties between Iran and Egypt

Text of article by Zaynab Esma'ili headlined: "Analysis of three decades of tarnished relations between Iran and Egypt: From Nile to Tehran" published by Iranian newspaper Mardom Salari on 13 July

Soon Tehran will host a conference for the members of the Non-Aligned Movement. Officials in Tehran have expressed hope that Egypt will take part in this conference at the ministerial level.

Twenty eight years after the diplomatic relationship between Tehran and Cairo disintegrated; it seems that Egypt's presence in this conference is very significant. Without a doubt, Egypt's presence, as one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement, in a conference for the members of this movement in Tehran this year is extremely important. Gamal Abdel Nasser, Marshal Tito and Ahmad Sukarno the former leaders of Egypt, Yugoslavia, and Indonesia during the years of cold war were the founders of this movement in an attempt to encourage development in these countries without being dependant on the big powers and following their suit. Nonetheless, it is important to realise that it has been 28 years since the diplomatic relationship between Tehran and Cairo was severed.

A very difficult street

Maybe many of the commuters and pedestrians who use Khaled Eslamboli (former Vozara) street [in Tehran], Soleiman Khater (former Amir Atabak) street [in Tehran] and other similar streets with names that are selected with love or hatred, have never read biographies of the people whose names are on the streets anywhere or in any books. But those who have proposed these street names and those who have agreed with the selection of these names knew very well what name they have selected. However, the name of streets or walls which carry the posters of some (like Khaled Eslamboli) have underlying meanings which can occasionally stem from sources of division or might lead into sources of division. The disintegration of the relationship between Iran and Egypt 28 years ago is one of the manifestations of the above.

The heavy burden of the past

Although several attempts have been made during the past couple of years in order to resume the bilateral ties between Iran and Egypt, none of these attempts have been successful so far. So far none of the senior officials from the two countries have travelled between the two countries. A look at the history of the disintegration of the relationship between Iran and Egypt shows the hardness of the ice which lies between the attempts to re-establish the relationship between the two countries.

The relationship between Iran and Egypt was cut 28 years ago, two months after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, nine years after Tehran and Cairo resumed talks once more and five weeks after the agreement in Camp David was signed.

Camp David (personal holiday home of the American president near Washington) is where many agreements and decisions have been made in history. Among these agreements we can refer to the Gaza and Ariha agreement between Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin which led to the formation of the Palestinian autonomous government. Also the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel which ended years of animosity between Anwar Sadat the former Egyptian president and Menachem Begin the former Israeli prime minister were signed at Camp David.

Five weeks after this agreement was made, Imam Khomeyni (peace be upon him) wrote an order and made it clear: ?Dear Mr Dr Ebrahim Yazdi, the foreign minister, based on the treacherous Israeli and Egyptian peace agreement and the unconditional submission of the Egyptian government to America and Zionism the temporary government of the Islamic Republic of Iran must cut its diplomatic ties with the government of Egypt.'

This order was issued in protest to the Camp David treaty which led to Israel's withdrawal from the Sina Subcontinent after which the relationship between Cairo and Tel Aviv went back to normal. By signing this agreement the Egyptian government practically bestowed legality upon the Israeli government and this point was one of the reasons the newly born government of the Islamic Republic, which had found itself in the forefront of the fight with Israel, to protest against this agreement. Before this there were also differences between Egypt and Iran. Anwar Sadat's welcoming of the Shah of Iran in the heat of the revolution and his refusal to return the Shah to Iran and also allowing American military bases in Egypt to be used in the failed mission to free the American hostages in Iran are amongst other differences between Iran and Egypt. Nevertheless, Imam Khomeyni's order which urged Iran to cut its diplomatic ties with Egypt was issued in protest to the reconciliation between Cairo and Israel.

Earlier efforts

It can be said that the earliest efforts to resume ties between Tehran and Cairo was made by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. In an interview with Entekhab Newspaper on 1 December 1999 he refers to one of the Supreme National Security Council's ratifications which goes back to years ago and insists on resuming relationship with Egypt. Rafsanjani in this interview refers to the protests made against resuming ties with Egypt due to Ayatollah Khomeyni's order and adds: ?In a letter to the Imam, I expressed seven issues to him and asked him to solve these during his life time. Otherwise afterwards the governments will have difficulty.' (Deutschewelle).

One of the points mentioned in this letter was about resuming diplomatic ties with Egypt. In 1997 on the sidelines of an international meeting, Seyed Mohammad Khatami, Iran's former president, met Hosni Mobarak, Egypt's president and after this meeting gradually the officials from the two countries started to meet on the sidelines of various international conferences. Widespread domestic protests however meant that these efforts did not lead to anything special. Talks about resuming the relationship between Iran and Egypt gained a new momentum during the ninth government. A conference on Iraq where Iraq's neighbouring countries were invited was an excuse for Ahmad Abolgheiz, the Egyptian foreign minister to travel to Tehran and be welcomed by Manouchehr Mottaki. Then these meetings continued and Mottaki took part in the conference of Iraq's neighbours held in Sharm Al Sheik. In an interview with an Egyptian reporter in the Emirates, Ahmadinezhad made it clear that Iran is ready to open its embassy in Egypt by the end of the office hours on the same day and he expressed interest to visit Cairo if the Egyptian officials were to invite him.

This prepared the climate for a close relationship between the two countries to take shape. After this statement, Na'ele Jabr, deputy to Egypt's foreign minister took part in the conference for members of Non-Aligned movement in Tehran and hold talks with Abbas A'raqchi our country's deputy foreign minister in legal and international matters. After that the diplomatic relationship between the two countries started to grow and Abbas A'raqchi travelled to Cairo for negotiations. The two foreign ministers also continued to write to each other and recently Hossein Zarrar the deputy to Egypt's foreign minister in Asia came to Tehran to hand in Abolgheiz's message to his Iranian counterpart. In the meantime, in an interview with Al Sharq Al Owsat Newspaper, Abolgheiz stated: ?The bilateral relationship between Iran and Egypt is growing without a need for Arab countries to intervene. There is, however, a misunderstanding with regard to the trend of the bilateral relationship between Iran and Egypt. Recently the deputy to Egypt's foreign minister came to Tehran and I was also in Iran in 2006 on the sidelines of a conference for Iraq's neighbouring countries in Iran. Also former Egyptian ministers came to Iran and met with Iranian officials and also Iran's foreign minister has been in Egypt several times and is always welcomed.'

In response to a question about the reason for refusing to announce that diplomatic ties between Iran and Egypt have officially resumed, he made it clear: ?There are diplomatic ties between the two countries and Egypt has diplomats in Tehran. In addition, Egypt's flag is hoisted high in (Egypt's office) in Tehran and Iran's flag is in Tehran's office in Egypt. There are diplomatic offices which work like an embassy in both Tehran and Cairo.'

The Egyptian foreign minister did not take Ahmadinezhad's unusual (diplomatic) comments about opening Iran's embassy in Cairo within the office hours on that day quite seriously. Abolgheiz explained his preconditions: ?eliminating any signs of Khaled Eslamboli, who murdered Anwar Sadat, the former Egyptian president, in 1981.' Abolgheiz made it clear that after this precondition 90 per cent of the problems are solved and then we will negotiate about the formation of our future ties.

A new crisis

These days, after a documentary was shown in Iran called ?execution of the Pharaoh' the relationship between the countries is once again tarnished. With the most serious language possible the Egyptian foreign minister condemned the release of a documentary in Iran about the assassination of Egypt's former president and called it an irresponsible act.

?Execution of the Pharaoh' was made three years ago by the ?unit for celebration of the martyr's of the international Islamic movement'. In this documentary footage from the assassination of Anwar Sadat, proceedings against the assassins and interviews with some Egyptian experts and close relatives of Khaled Eslamboli, the terrorist leader, were shown. The deputy to Egypt's foreign minister in Asia summoned the head of Iran's diplomatic office in Cairo to protest against this documentary and maintain that this will have a negative impact on the relationship between the two countries.

In the meantime, Anwar Sadat's family, who are referred to in this documentary as ?treacherous' have decided to take legal action. The director general of the unit for celebrating the martyrs made a statement and explained about this documentary: ?the documentary we have made is within the framework of the stance taken by the system.' Foruz Rejaifar in this statement which is issued by the Qod's news website has protested against some media and press for changing the name of this documentary to ?assassination of the Pharaoh' and insisted: ?The exact name of this film is ?execution of the Pharaoh' which is a reference to the revolutionary execution of Anwar Sadat the deceased Egyptian president.'

He believes: ?this documentary about the execution of the Pharaoh is based on apparently former stance taken officially by the Islamic Republic of Iran (which was the source of cutting ties with Egypt) and the perspective of the Imam (peace be upon him). His Excellency Imam (peace be upon him) thanked the person who executed Sadat and in April 1979 nicknamed Sadat ?Egypt's Pharaoh.' The heavy burden of the past is still on the shoulders of the present. Under the portrait of Khaled Eslamboli (the Islamist officer who assassinated Anwar Sadat) it is written: ?I killed Egypt's Pharaoh.'

Source: Mardom-Salari website, Tehran, in Persian 13 Jul 08