President Mohamed Morsi met at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday 9/1/2013 with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen. The meeting dealt with means of easing the human sufferings of Gaza Strip residents and the possibility of resuming the stalling Palestinian Israeli peace process.

The meeting reviewed the progress of the Palestinian reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas movements.

In the same vein, Morsi held talks with Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal and his accompanying delegation on the Palestinian reconciliation file and the Palestinians' suffering due to an Israeli-imposed Gaza blockade.

The President will meet on Thursday 10/1/2013 with Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi who will convey to him a message from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Presidential Spokesman Yasser Ali said on Wednesday 9/1/2013.

Answering a question on whether talks between the Egyptian officials and Salehi will cover the Syrian file, Ali said that Egypt wishes to see an end to the Syrian bloodletting and is maintaining efforts to serve this end with all international parties concerned, including Iran and Turkey.

Ali denied reports about a meeting between Presidential aide Essam el-Haddad and an Iranian security official.