Victory for Tehran
Op-ed: Smadar Peri wonders how Morsi will feel when his convoy passes through Tehran square named after Sadat's killer
Here is another reason why Israel must continue seeking ways to reconcile with Turkey and bring the "Marmara" affair to a close. National pride has gotten the better of both sides, and no one is disputing the fact that we have lost an important strategic partner.
Turkey is the only country that spat directly in the face of the Revolutionarily Guards, Khamenei and the ayatollahs and said: We will not be attending the gathering of nonaligned nations in Tehran. President Gul is "busy," Prime Minister Erdogan has "health problems," and even Foreign Minister Davutoglu found more important things to do.
Foreign Affairs
Ron Ben-Yishai
Analysis: Egyptian president's attempts to minimize cooperation concern Israel more than deployment of tanks in Sinai
The summit would not have attracted any attention had it not been held in Tehran. The Non-Aligned Movement, which was established following the collapse of the Soviet Union and managed to recruit 119 nations, does not have sharp teeth. But hosting the summit marks a victory for Iran, which is breaking out of its isolation – if only temporarily.
A red carpet will be rolled out for Morsi, who will hand the Non-Aligned Movement's keys to Ahmadinejad. If it were up to him, the Egyptian president would have remained in Cairo rather than scrap the 33-year-old boycott, which began when Egypt closed its embassy in Tehran.
It would be interesting to hear what Morsi had to say when his convoy passed through Tehran's Islambouli Square, which is named after Sadat's killer. Mubarak did not set foot in Iran for 30 years because of the assassination, and Morsi also has a score to settle the Islamic Republic over its funding of terror and secret training camps – which eventually resulted in the murder of 16 Egyptian soldiers in Sinai.
Ahmadinejad is not likely to attack the "Zionist cancer" during the summit. The ayatollahs have instructed him to attend to more burning issues, such as seeking global support for Iran's "peaceful" nuclear program.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's insistence on attending the summit is baffling, particularly after he was recently informed that Iran does not plan to cooperate with the UN nuclear agency's inspectors. Moreover, one of Ban's aides has complained that Iran is continuing to transfer weapons and equipment to Syrian forces loyal to President Assad, and Lebanon has told the UN that Iran is trying to ignite a civil war in the country.
