Egypt's top cleric told visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad not to interfere in the affairs of Bahrain or other Gulf states, and to uphold the rights of his country's Sunni minority. Ahmed al-Tayyeb, the grand imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, also denounced what he described as the "spread of Shiism in Sunni lands". Tayyeb, who made the remarks in a statement after meeting Ahmadinejad, demanded "the Iranian president respect Bahrain as a brotherly Arab nation, and not interfere in the affairs of Gulf states".

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Cairo on Tuesday, marking the first visit to Egypt by an Iranian president since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, Egyptian television footage showed. Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsi welcomed Ahmadinejad at Cairo airport as he disembarked from the plane, the footage showed. Ahmadinejad, who is on a three-day visit, will attend an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation conference in Cairo and will hold talks with Egyptian officials, Iranian media said ahead of the trip.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left Tehran on Tuesday for the first visit to Egypt by an Iranian head of state since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, promising to work towards strengthening bilateral ties. Ahmadinejad during the three-day visit will attend an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation conference in Cairo as well as meet with Egyptian officials and politicians, the official IRNA news agency reported. "I will try to pave the ground for developing cooperation between Iran and Egypt," Ahmadinejad told reporters before leaving Tehran.

BEIRUT, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged regional countries on Monday to work for unity in Iraq, which has seen weeks of protests against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, warning that any disturbance there would affect the whole Middle East. "If a fire breaks out it will burn everyone," Ahmadinejad, speaking through a translator, said in an interview with Al Mayadeen television. "I said with all honesty, those who are interfering will be subject to harm".