February 5, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Cairo for the first visit by the head of the Islamic Republic to Egypt in more than 30 years.

Ahmadinejad arrived Tuesday for a three-day visit and was greeted by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. Morsi is the leader of Egypt’s Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.

Once good relations between Egypt and Iran declined after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and Egypt’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

Morsi met briefly with Ahmadinejad last August in Tehran on the sidelines of an international summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Morsi and Ahmadinejad discussed the uprising in Syria during a brief meeting on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.

Ahmadinejad will attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit on Wednesday in Cairo.

Ahmadinejad said Monday during an interview that he would like to visit Gaza this week or before he steps down as president in June, adding that: “My wish is bigger than this. I wish to pray in Jerusalem after complete liberation.”
 

Help us tell the Jewish story with reporting from around the world. Please donate to JTA.

Click to write a letter to the editor.

This article was made possible by the support of readers like you. Donate to JTA now.