Egyptian President Mohmad Mursi said on Saturday that building a strong relationship with Iran is important for Egypt at this time to be able to exert efforts aimed at ending the ongoing crisis in Syria.
Egyptian President Mohmad Mursi said on Saturday that building a strong relationship with Iran is important for Egypt at this time to be able to exert efforts aimed at ending the ongoing crisis in Syria.
During 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."
Egypt asked last month for Iran to join a quartet committee for which includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Egypt to try to find a solution to the violence in Syria.
"I don't see the presence of Iran in this quartet as a problem, but is a part of solving the (Syrian) problem," Mursi said, explaining that Iran's close proximity to Syria and its strong ties with it makes it vital in resolving the Syrian crisis.
Mursi's comments came after Saudi Arabia stayed away from the quartet's last meeting, which Cairo hosted on September 17. Saudi Arabia's decision was seen by diplomats and western officials as a reaction to the presence of Iran.
Saudi Arabia has not officially commented on why it did not attend that meeting and Egyptian officials gave conflicting explanations for its absence.
Mursi said he could meet with top officials of the three states of the Quartet during the United Nations general assembly meeting he will attend in New York this week.
"And we do not have a significant problem with Iran, it (the relation between Egypt and Iran) is normal like with the rest of the world's states," said the new Egyptian leader.
He also repeated comments he made earlier over the stance from the Syrian regime as saying: “The Syrian regime has to know it is violating all laws and norms in its continuation to shed blood.”
EGYPTIAN ISSUES
Meanwhile, Mursi vowed to meet the Egyptian people's demands for deeply rooted corruption to be eradicated from all governmental institutions.
He has said many of the changes he made in the leadership of state institutions, which have included the military, the state's auditing units and the state's intelligence department, were aimed at weeding out corruption.
"I won't leave a corrupted person unpunished," Mursi said. "I won't take extraordinary measures but I tell corrupt people that under the law, soon you will be punished," he added.
In a surprise move last month, Mursi dismissed the head of the military council and the military's chief of staff and cancelled a decree the army issued that gave it legislative powers in the absence of parliament.
When asked about how he felt after he knew he won the presidential vote to become Egypt's first freely elected civilian president, Mursi said: "I was filled by an overwhelming feeling of responsibility."
"The targets are big, hopes are wide, resources are huge and strong efforts are requested," Mursi added.
