TEHRAN A high-ranking delegation from Egypt's Federation of Industries is to visit the Islamic Republic in February, Cairo paper Al-Shaab reported. The delegation includes top businessmen and six members of the federation led by its President Abdul Munim Saudi. Saudi told Al-Shaab that the four-day visit to Iran at the invitation of the Iranian Federation of Industries was aimed at exploring the Iranian market and of boosting industrial, trade and economic cooperation between Egypt and Iran. He said the visit of the Egyptian delegation to Tehran was taking place at an important period as it was aimed at opening the markets of Egypt and Iran to the products of the two countries.

Saudi said he hoped that the visit would be a success in laying down the foundation for important cooperation between the two Muslim countries. The Egyptian official stressed that economic and commercial cooperation between Egypt and Iran were and will never be influenced by the nature of political ties between Cairo and Tehran, adding that the two must be separated finally, Saudi spoke of a new phase in Egyptian-Iranian ties following the visit of Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa to Tehran last month to participate in the Islamic Summit.