Iranian, Egyptian Presidents Likely to Meet in New York

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Egyptian counterpart Mohammad Mursi are very likely to attend bilateral talks in New York in coming days, an Egyptian spokesman announced on Tuesday.

Spokesman of Egypt’s Presidential Office Yasser Ali was quoted by Arab daily Youm 7 (al-Youm al-Sabe) as saying that preparatory measures have been adopted to pave the way for the two presidents to have bilateral talks on the sidelines of the annual UN General-Assembly meeting underway in New York.

But, Ali reiterated that the meeting has not been finalized yet.

He added that in case of a meeting, the two sides will discuss the issue of Syria and the outcomes of the quadrilateral meeting of the Contact Group on Syria held in Cairo earlier this month.

Last week, Mursi had stressed Iran’s crucial role in resolving the regional crisis, including the problem of Syria, adding that Cairo favors strong regional cooperation with Tehran.

Speaking in a televised interview, his first to state TV since his election last June, Mursi described Iran as “a main player in the region that could have an active and supportive role in solving the Syrian problem.”

Last Monday, Iranian, Egyptian and Turkish foreign ministers attended a meeting of the Contact Group on Syria in a bid to find a peaceful solution to the current crisis in the Arab country.

Saudi Arabia was not represented in the meeting of the contact group on Syria as his foreign minister was reportedly suffering an ailment.

In a joint press conference after tripartite talks with Mohammed Kamel Amr and Ahmet Davutoglu, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi underlined the need for patience and awareness to restore calm in Syria, and said that only a solution agreed by all Syrians can soothe the crisis in the Arab country.

Salehi also said that members of the Contact Group on Syria share identical views about finding a solution to the current crisis in Syria.

“The common ground between us is more than our differences,” Salehi told reporters.

The Iranian minister emphasized that there must be a Syrian solution and not one imposed from the outside.

During the press conference, Davutoglu called for a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis, adding that the group of four countries agreed on some common points.

Meantime, Kamel Amr said it was too early to devise a specific plan and stated that the talks would continue in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

The three foreign ministers also held a meeting with UN-Arab League Special Envoy on Syria Lakhdar Brahimi and Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi.