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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
IRGC Deputy commander confirms Iran's major general did not visit Egypt
2013-01-15
And there's no confirmation like a IRGC deputy commander's confirmation.
Deputy Commander in Chief of Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Hossein Baloney Salami has recently said that the news about Iranian major general Qassem Soleimani's visit to Egypt is not true, Fars reported. Salami made the remarks speaking at the press conference held this morning.

Last week, Al Ahram reported that the Egyptian presidency has strongly denied a UK newspaper claim that the president's assistant for foreign relations met a senior Iranian intelligence official in Cairo.

The Times newspaper said on 8 January 2013 that the two met while Suleimani was in Cairo for two days.

The office of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's assistant for foreign affairs, Essam El-Haddad responded robustly, pointing to "the inaccuracy of the whole story" and categorically denying "these fabrications."

The Times report described the aim of the claimed visit as "sending a message to America."

El-Haddad expressed anger at the report. He said in an official statement Friday, issued through the Egyptian Embassy in London, that Mr Suleimani never entered Egypt.

"We are concerned that a respectable news outlet such as The Times would fail to uphold basic journalistic standards. The Times chose not to solicit a reaction from the [Egyptian] presidency, Dr El-Haddad's office or the Foreign Ministry," the statement went on to say.

The Times claimed that the Iranian security official visited Egypt just after Christmas.
Posted by:Steve White

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