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Morsi and Ahmadinejad Can Relate at OIC Summit

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will compare notes at the summit of Organization of Islamic Countries in Cairo.
Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi (L) shakes hands with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran August 30, 2012. Picture taken August 30, 2012. REUTERS/Egyptian Presidency/Handout (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Wednesday’s opening of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit in Egypt has been the opportunity for Iranian’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to visit President Mohammed Morsi of Egypt and to have been received warmly — presumably as a prelude for further thaw in the relations between these two countries.

Both of these presidents are facing serious internal challenges. Ahmadinejad — to his presidency, and will possibly be opposed by a figure closer to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. And Morsi, in the last few weeks, has been facing growing opposition and a weakening of his popular appeal. And, his flawed response to dealing with the opposition foreclosed, at least temporarily, any consequential dialogue between the opposition and Morsi. 

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