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 President Mohamed Morsi, the leader of Egypt’s Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.
In an interview the day before, Ahmadinejad said that he would like to visit Gaza this week or before he steps down as president in June. He added, “My wish is bigger than this. I wish to pray in Jerusalem after complete liberation.”
On Tuesday, Morsi and Ahmadinejad discussed the uprising in Syria during a brief meeting, The Associated Press reported. Ahmadinejad will attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit on Wednesday in Cairo.
Morsi met briefly with Ahmadinejad last August in Tehran on the sidelines of an international summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The once-good relations between Egypt and Iran declined after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and Egypt’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel.
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