Over 80 percent of Egyptians support warmer relations with Iran, according to a recent opinion poll conducted by the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (CPSS).
When the figures are broken down to include only what the pollsters called "intellectuals," support swells to some 95-97 percent, according to Al Ahram weekly.
“Clearly, there is a willingness at both official and unofficial levels in Egypt to improve relations,” said the paper.
CPSS recently organized a symposium in Cairo on Egyptian- Iranian ties.
Tehran-Cairo ties have significantly warmed since June 2000 when President Mohammad Khatami spoke over the phone with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak, the first such conversation by the presidents of the two countries since they broke ties in 1979 after Egypt signed the Camp David peace treaty with Israel.
Relations have since improved, and the two countries now run interest sections through the Swiss embassies in Cairo and Tehran, operated by Iranian and Egyptian diplomats.
The only sticking point between the two countries remains a Tehran street honoring the assassin of former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, and a square in Cairo named after the last ousted Iranian monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
In an unexpected move, the Tehran City Council voted to open an urgent debate on the issue, which has hampered efforts to improve Iran-Egypt ties - Albawaba.com
