Egypt's Morsi 'did not discuss boosting ties with Iran'

CAIRO (AFP) - Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi made no mention of resuming ties with Iran during a recent visit to Teheran, his spokesman Yassir Ali said on Sunday, denying statements by Iranian officials.

"The meeting between President Mohamed Morsi and his Iranian counterpart (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad did not broach the subject of boosting the level of representation or of opening an embassy," said Mr Ali, quoted by the state-owned daily Al-Ahram.

Dr Morsi's attendance of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Teheran was the first time an Egyptian head of state had set foot in Iran since the two countries broke off diplomatic ties in the wake of the 1979 Islamic revolution there. The two countries have since maintained interests sections in their respective capitals.

According to Mr Ali, the two leaders agreed to hold "more dialogue to examine common affairs, including regional issues."