Egypt urges Iran to cooperate with int'l community 

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Gheit strongly called Iran on Thursday to cooperate and respond to the demands of the international community regarding the purposes of its nuclear program.

Abul Gheit said, in an interview with Al-Jumhoriya newspaper, that Egypt supported the right of all countries that are members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to benefit from nuclear energy in peaceful manner, according to the NPT's fourth article.

However, there are attempts to limit that right through hindering countries from gaining scientific knowledge, he said.

This could have the implication of non-nuclear countries using the technology without enough knowledge, he warned.

He said that Egypt opposed all solutions, other than peaceful solutions, to deal with the Iranian nuclear issue because of their effect on the whole region, if not the whole world, would be catastrophic.

He stressed that his country made all effort possible to support the NPT and called for Israel's joining the signatories.

"Egypt is against double standards in dealing with countries suspected to have military nuclear programs," he also highlighted.