Iranian Majlis Speaker calls talks with Mubarak successful

TEHRAN, Dec. 21 (MNA) -- Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Sunday.


At a press conference after the meeting, Larijani said he discussed various regional issues with the Egyptian president and the talks were constructive.


Relations between Cairo and Tehran have been tense for decades. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Egypt provided asylum to the deposed shah, and when he succumbed to cancer in 1980, the Egyptian government held a funeral for him that then president Anwar Sadat attended. Tehran severed ties with Cairo in 1979 when it made peace with Israel.


Earlier, Larijani told reporters upon his arrival in Cairo on Sunday that he regards the talks with Egyptian officials as important because Egypt is an important country in the region.


He said his trip provides an opportunity to discuss issues of concern for the two countries.


The Iranian parliament speaker travelled to Cairo to attend a meeting of the Parliamentary Union of Organization of the Islamic Conference member states (PUOICM).


The participants are scheduled to hold talks on revising the PUOICM charter during the meeting.