Iran says diplomat in Egypt returns home

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

1390/03/11
06-01-2011
15:05:41
News Code :9003-08140

TEHRAN (ISNA)-Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Wednesday the Iranian diplomat arrested in Egypt by mistake returned home.

"Arrest of the diplomat was a misunderstanding which was removed. The diplomat was released and returned to Iran with 45 Egyptian guests," Salehi told reporters on the sidelines of cabinet meeting.

Also concerning probability of any misunderstanding between Iran-Egypt relations following the issue, Salehi said, "it will not influence the created process between the two countries."

Some media claimed that the Iranian diplomat was captured in Egypt due to alleged espionage claims.

Salehi then rejected reports on his trip to Saudi Arabia and said, "some European states have made invitations and I will unveil their names in future."

Also concerning summon of Iranian ambassador to Germany following the incident regarding plane of the German Chancellor, he said, "the plane was permitted to fly over Iran's airspace, but the pilot had seemingly declared a wrong flight code."

Germany summoned Iranian ambassador to the country Alireza Sheikh-Attar on Tuesday after it claimed Iran’s decision to block Chancellor Angela Merkel’s plane from entering Iranian airspace en route to India was “completely unacceptable.”

Some media claimed that Merkel’s plane, a new Airbus A340 with a full delegation, was forced to circle over Turkish territory for about two hours early Tuesday after Iran initially refused to let it enter the country.

“This is a lack of respect toward Germany that we will not accept,” Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle claimed in an e-mailed statement.

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