by The Associated Press and Israel Hayom Staff
At meeting in Jiddah with German counterpart, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal calls for Iran to pull its forces out of Syria, Iraq and Yemen • Qatari emir visits Saudi Arabia for meeting with King Abdullah.
German FM Frank-Walter
Steinmeier meets with Saudi FM Saud al-Faisal in Jiddah, Monday
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Photo credit: AP  |
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Monday
lashed out at regional rival Iran, accusing the Shiite powerhouse of
having forces inside Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and insisting that Iran is
"part of the problem" in trying to defuse the myriad Mideast crises.
Saud al-Faisal said that Iran should pull its
troops -- which he called "occupying forces" -- from the three Middle
Eastern nations stricken by conflicts and violence if it wants to be
part of the solution.
Al-Faisal did not elaborate on his allegations.
Iran insists it has no forces on the ground in
any of the three countries, but has sent advisers to help Syrian
President Bashar Assad keep his hold on power and to the Shiite-led
government in Baghdad to battle the Islamic State group.
Iran is Syria's strongest ally in the Middle
East, and has provided Assad's government with military and political
backing for years. Iran also is believed to be sending weapons and money
to Syria.
Saudi Arabia has joined the U.S.-led coalition
in air strikes against Islamic State fighters who have taken over parts
of Iraq and Syria, saying it seeks to both support the Syrian
opposition battling Assad and crush the extremist fighters.
"In many of these conflicts, Iran is part of
the problem and not part of the solution," al-Faisal said during a press
conference in the Saudi city of Jiddah with visiting German Foreign
Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
"If Iran wants to contribute to solving the
problems in Syria, it should withdraw its troops from Syria," he said,
adding the same applies to Yemen and Iraq.
Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates
have also joined in airstrikes against the extremist group, while Qatar
is providing logistical support.
Also Monday, Qatar's emir arrived to Saudi
Arabia for a meeting with King Abdullah. It is Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al
Thani's second visit to the kingdom in the past three months. The two
were to discuss regional issues related to the fight against the Islamic
State group, Saudi media said.
And in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait's
ruler Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Monday wrapped up his visit
during which he met the federation's top leaders, including Abu Dhabi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The high-level meetings came as the
energy-rich Gulf Arab nations strive to put aside differences in an
effort to present a unified front against both Assad's forces and the
Islamic State fighters.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE withdrew ambassadors
from Qatar in March to protest its support for the Islamist Muslim
Brotherhood group in the region. They have yet to reinstate them.
The Associated Press and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=20725
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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