Egyptian president receives invitation to visit Iran

CAIRO – Iran's top envoy says Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi has been invited to visit Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told reporters on Thursday that he delivered the invitation to Morsi from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a meeting in Cairo.

During talks with Morsi about the Syrian crisis, Salehi says he reiterated Iran's position that the Syrian government needs to open dialogue with the opposition to avoid "foreign intervention."

In December, Iran floated a vague peace plan to resolve Syria's 22-month civil war. It supports a transitional government and elections for parliament and president, but doesn't spell out whether it hopes Syrian President Bashar Assad can hang onto his office.

The plan marked a shift in Iran's previous unwavering support for the embattled Assad.