Riyadh and Iran cooperating to ease crises in Iraq and Lebanon
Riyadh: US ally Saudi Arabia and Iran are working together to try to calm the crises in Iraq and Lebanon, the Saudi foreign minister said yesterday, despite Washington's efforts to isolate Tehran and stem its power in the Middle East.
Prince Saud Al Faisal said that Iran had approached his country to "cooperate in averting strife between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq and Lebanon".
"Saudi Arabia wants only peace in the region," Prince Saud said. "Contacts are ongoing between Riyadh and Tehran."
A Saudi envoy is in Iran studying all the efforts being exerted to calm the situation and defuse the crises in Iraq and Lebanon and "exploring what Iran can contribute," he said.
"The initiative will not succeed unless it is followed by action on the ground." The deputy leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement visited Saudi Arabia in late December and met King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and Prince Saud. The next month, Iran's top national security official, Ali Larijani, also met with the Saudi monarch.
At the time, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he had sent a message to King Abdullah offering cooperation and that the Saudi response had been "positive".
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Riyadh and Iran cooperating to ease crises in Iraq and Lebanon
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment