http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1068342.html
Last update - 18:50 03/03/2009
Arabs must unite to confront a nuclear Iran, Saudi FM says
By The Associated Press
Tags: Arab League,
Saudi Arabia's top diplomat urged Arabs on Tuesday to stand up to Persian
Iran's ambitions in the region, including its nuclear program.
Prince Saud al-Faisal told a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo
that non-Arab countries should not interfere in Iraq, Lebanon and the
Palestinian territories.
Saud stressed that resolution of disputes among Arabs depended on a
unified and a joint vision in dealing with the Iranian challenge in regard to
the Arabian Gulf security and the nuclear issue.
The predominantly Sunni Arab Middle East has been wary of the growing
influence of Shiite Iran and Saud's comments were a clear call for Arab unity.
His remarks came a day after he and his Arab counterparts expressed their
concerns about Iran to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The ministers
and Clinton met on the sidelines of an international conference in Egypt on
Monday that raised $5.2 billion in pledges to rebuild the devastated Gaza
Strip.
Last week, Clinton announced the appointment of veteran diplomat Dennis
Ross to be her special adviser on matters related to the Gulf, including
overtures to the Iranians.
Arabs fear that the Obama administration's expected efforts to engage
Tehran might lead to a deal that would bring U.S. and Iran closer at the
expense of Arab interests.
But Clinton assured the Arab ministers that Washington is carefully
considering its moves and will consult fully with Gulf allies on Iran issues.
At the meeting in Cairo on Tuesday, Bahrain asked the ministers to put
Iran on the agenda of the Arab League meeting, amid growing concerns in the
tiny Gulf kingdom that Iran still holds longtime claims to the island.
Those concerns were sparked by recent comments by a prominent Iranian
cleric who was quoted by Iranian media as saying Bahrain was the 14th province
of Iran until 1970. Bahrain is ruled by a Sunni elite but its Shiite majority
has close ties to Iran.
Also Tuesday in Cairo, Saud and his Egyptian counterpart met with Syrian
Foreign Minister Walid Moallem in efforts to bridge the rift between the two
U.S.-allied Arab powerhouses and the Iran-backed Syria.
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