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| Africa North |
| Egypt turns down U.S. request to inspect Iranian arms ship on way to Syria |
| 2012-08-26 |
| Egypt has recently turned down a U.S. request to stop an Iranian ship carrying weapons to Syria, according to a report in Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper. According to the report, quoted in Israel Radio on Sunday, Lieutenant General Mohab Mamish, Suez Canal Authority chairman, said Egypt's navy refused to stop the ship and inspect its cargo as it was passing through the canal. Last week, an Egyptian official said President Mohammed Morsi will attend a summit in Iran later this month, the first such trip for an Egyptian leader since relations with Tehran deteriorated decades ago. The visit could mark a thaw between the two countries after years of enmity, especially since Egypt signed its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and Iran underwent its Islamic revolution. Under MorsiÂ’s predecessor Hosni Mubarak, Egypt, predominantly Sunni Muslim, sided with Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-dominated Arab states in trying to isolate Shiite-led Iran. Iran hailed the victory of Morsi, who resigned from the Muslim Brotherhood when he was elected in June, as an "Islamic Awakening." Morsi, however, is striving to reassure Egypt's Western allies wary at the prospect of Islamist rule, and Gulf states that are deeply suspicious of Iranian influence. Egypt is the current head of the Non Aligned Movement, founded during the Cold War to advocate the causes of the developing world, is set to hand over to Iran in the Tehran meeting. |
| Posted by:Glinesh Craling7938 |
| #7 Update Egypt rejected U.S. demand to fire on Iranian ship: Suez chief |
| Posted by: tipper 2012-08-26 21:24 |
| #6 Egyptian Prez Morsi/Mursi is repor engaging in new diplomatic rapprochement wid Iran + China to counter the US in the Middle East. Iff successful, it will great news for both Iran's + China's naval ambitions, espec Rising Iran's. Various Perts have described both Rising Iran + Rising China as being in the "Mahanist" phase of growing international power. Iff Egypt does indeed become Iran's newest BFF in the ME, in a US-Iran war the risk is there that a pro-Iran Egypt may once again attempt to shut down the Suez Canal to nations allied to the US vee Israel. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-08-26 20:11 |
| #5 They are just upset now they will have to pay UPS to take weapons from Egypt and Libya to the freedom fighters in Syria! |
| Posted by: Slolugum Gray3209 2012-08-26 18:07 |
| #4 Egypt has recently turned down a U.S. request So beggars can be choosers, unless the request was so weakly worded that the Egyptians knew it meant nothing. |
| Posted by: tipper 2012-08-26 13:44 |
| #3 Is that an iceberg??? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2012-08-26 13:16 |
| #2 It might be a tad obvious if an Israeli special forces planted a limpit mine on the ship such that it blew up in the Med and sank with all hands. Then again, there sometimes is great value in being obvious. The evil Jooz will get blamed regardless... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2012-08-26 12:56 |
| #1 perhaps it could find "an old WWII mine"? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2012-08-26 11:42 |