Egypt said Thursday it has postponed a visit to Cairo by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki following his attack on the role of some Arab leaders in facilitating Middle East peace talks. The head of the Iranian interests section in Cairo was summoned to explain remarks attributed to Mottaki in which he slammed "the participation of certain Arab leaders in the relaunch of direct peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis in Washington," the foreign ministry said, according to AFP.
The ministry informed the Iranian diplomat that "due to this development" the meeting in Cairo on Monday of the Non-Aligned Movement "troika" -- Iran, Egypt and Cuba -- has been postponed.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah II of Jordan support the restart of direct peace talks between the two parties, and both of them are in Washington to participate in that.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has dismissed the peace talks, saying they will fail to resolve conflict in the Middle East.
