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Iranian president, Saudi king pledge to fight Muslim sectarian strife in Mideast
munaeem | 04 March, 2007 07:55
The Saudi foreign minister said that Saudi Arabia and Iran vowed to fight the spread of sectarian strife that threatens to spill over from their neighbour Iraq.
The talks between the two leaders have been touted as a possible means to defuse sectarian tensions in Iraq and Lebanon, and prevent Iran from sliding further into isolation.
Ahmadinejad's trip comes amid rapid developments that threaten to further isolate his country and place it under punitive sanctions because of its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.
The Saudi Press Agency said :
"The two leaders asserted that the greatest danger threatening the Muslim nation at the present time is the attempt to spread strife between Sunni and Shiite Muslims and that efforts should be exerted to stop such attempts and close ranks."
The trip was Mr. Ahmadinejad’s first official visit to the Saudi kingdom, and is widely believed to have been set up at the behest of the Iranians. It was the culmination of months of diplomatic efforts by the two regional powers, as well as other Arab countries.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have had chilly relations since the 2005 election of Ahmadinejad, whose refusal to suspend uranium enrichment has led to U.N. Security Council sanctions and made Iran's Arab neighbors increasingly wary of the country's nuclear program.
But Abdullah personally met Ahmadinejad at the airport before the two headed into a meeting.
Regionally, most Arab governments - which are overwhelmingly Sunni - have signalled impatience and worry over mostly Shi'ite Iran's backing of co-religionists in Iraq and Lebanon, saying such support can only destabilise the region.
But many analysts also expected Mr. Ahmadinejad to offer a more stark message warning to Arab governments that everyone would be harmed by any possible United States attack on Iran.
Mr. Ahmadinejad departed late Saturday night, the Saudi Press Agency reported, after about eight hours on the ground, despite initial plans for him to leave on Sunday.
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