TEHRAN, Iran Egypts chief delegate has transferred the leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement to Iran, which is seeking to rebuild the Cold War-era group into a greater voice against Western influence.
Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Ramzi Ezzeldin Ramzi formally gave Iran the rotating presidency of the 120-nation group Tuesday. Iran is currently hosting a weeklong gathering of the 51-year-old movement, which ends Friday.
Officials expected to attend include Egypts President Mohamed Morsi, who would be the first Egyptian leader to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran has a far-reaching agenda for the meetings, including trying to launch a peace effort for Syria with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Syrian rebels are likely to reject any bids by Iran, which is a close ally of Bashar Assad.
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