Tehran: Syria's delegation at the Non- Aligned Movement of nations summit in Iran withdrew from the hall as Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi was delivering a speech in which he described the Damascus government as "oppressive" and having lost its legitimacy, Egypt's state-run Ahram Gate website reported.
The Syrian people are fighting an oppressive regime and they, along with the Palestinian people, are yearning for freedom, Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi said at a meeting of non-aligned nations in Iran on Thursday.
Mursi, the first Egyptian leader to visit Iran in over 30 years, was speaking before an audience that included Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moallem. The Egyptian president has proposed that a committee of several nations, including Iran, spearhead efforts to end the conflict in Syria that opposition groups say has left more than 20,000 dead.
Mursi arrives in Tehran
Egypt’s new President Mohammad Mursi arrived in Tehran on Thursday for a landmark visit.
It was the first time an Egyptian leader has visited Iran since the Islamic revolution in 1979, after which Tehran and Cairo cut diplomatic relations.
Iran has hailed the presence of Mursi - who comes from Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood - as a chance to thaw ties.
Mursi was welcomed at the airport in Tehran by Iranian Vice President Hamid Baqaei.
Mursi’s spokesman said before the visit that the Egyptian leader would stay in Tehran for only a few hours.
Iran’s Al Alam television cited unidentified Iranian officials as saying the Egyptian leader would see Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to discuss bilateral relations, regional events, and the revolts sweeping the Arab world that this year brought Mursi to power.
The NAM, representing 120 nations, covers much of the developing world. It seeks UN reform to dilute the power of the UN Security Council, upholds the creation of a Palestinian state, and criticises Western sanctions imposed on some of its members including Iran.
