by Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
At Munich Security Conference, the three nations urge world to penalize Iran for destabilizing Middle East, sponsoring terrorism • Defense Minister Lieberman: Division is not between Jews and Muslims, but between moderates and radicals.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel
al-Jubeir at the 53rd Munich Security Conference, Sunday
|
Photo credit: Reuters  |
Israel and Saudi Arabia on Sunday both called
for a new international push against Iran, signaling a growing alignment
of interests between the two countries, which do not maintain
diplomatic ties. The statements were made separately by high-ranking
government ministers at the 53rd Munich Security Conference against the
backdrop of calls by U.S. lawmakers to impose new sanctions on Iran over
its recent ballistic missile test.
Speaking at different panels, Defense Minister
Avigdor Lieberman and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir urged Sunni
states in the Persian Gulf to reject Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad
Javad Zarif's call on them to join Iran's efforts to reduce violence in
the region, which both decried as disingenuous.
The Israeli and Saudi calls were echoed by Turkey.
Both Lieberman and al-Jubeir demanded that
Iran be penalized by the international community for propping up the
Syrian government, developing ballistic missiles, and funding the Houthi
rebels in Yemen's raging civil war.
Lieberman said Iran's ultimate objective is to
undermine Saudi Arabia. He called for dialogue with Sunni Arab states
to defeat radical elements in the Middle East, saying, "The real
division is not between Jews and Muslims, but between moderate and
radical elements."
Al-Jubeir called Iran the "main sponsor of global terrorism" and "a destabilizing force in the Middle East."
"Iran remains the single main sponsor of
terrorism in the world. It's determined to upend the order in the Middle
East," he said. He said that unless Iran changes its behavior, it will
be very difficult to deal with, and the international community needs to
set "clear red lines" to halt Iran's actions.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
criticized what he called Iran's "sectarian policy," which he said aims
to undermine Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, homes to Sunni minorities.
"Turkey is very much against any kind of
division, religious or sectarian. It's good that we are now normalizing
our relations with Israel," he said.
The support shown by the Saudis for Israel's
demands on Iran have prompted speculation that the Gulf state may follow
in Turkey's footsteps and normalize relations with Israel.
Officials from other Gulf states also expressed concern over Iran's growing involvement in the Middle East.
Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=40503
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