The Saudis host Iran president amid tensions

[Omaha Steve]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2920729


By DONNA ABU-NASR

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia Mar 3, 2007 (AP)— Saudi Arabia's king personally welcomed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad upon his arrival Saturday, a rapprochement many hope will help calm sectarian tensions threatening the Middle East.

King Abdullah received Ahmadinejad at the airport, and the two were expected to begin talks immediately, the official Saudi Press Agency news agency reported.

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.


Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gestures as he boards his plane and finishes his visit to the capital Khartoum, Sudan Thursday, March 1, 2007. Iran's president blamed the United States and Israel for the world's problems Thursday in a lecture to Sudanese officials and intellectuals at an institute in Khartoum. (AP Photo/Abd Raouf)

On Saturday, top diplomats from the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany will try to reach agreement on new sanctions against Iran. A U.S. official predicted the session would lead to a "substantive resolution."

FULL story at link.

[ohio2007]

1. Iran wasn't invited to the Sunni summit in Turkey

from the link;
....Iran is a strong backer of Lebanon's Hezbollah, which is striving to bring down the U.S.- and Saudi-backed Lebanese government. Iran also has close ties to Shiite political parties in Iraq, and Washington accuses it of backing Shiite militias there.

Arab officials have pointed out that while Shiites are a majority in Iran and Iraq, they make up only 15 percent of the world's Muslim population
......



They are feeling isolated but I wonder if the "dinner jacket" will return the favor and invite the Saudi ruler in kind to his own Islamic republic ?


Would the king accept ( if even asked behind closed doors ? )

[Eugene]

2. AP: Iran, Saudi heads vow to work for unity

Iran, Saudi heads vow to work for unity

By DONNA ABU-NASR, Associated Press Writer

Sat Mar 3, 9:11 PM ET

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Following their first official talks in Saudi Arabia,
the Iranian and Saudi leaders on Saturday pledged to fight the spread of
sectarian strife in the Middle East, which they said was the biggest danger
facing the region.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and King Abdullah also stressed the
importance of maintaining Palestinian unity and bringing security to Iraq,
the official Saudi Press Agency said.

The agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying he supported Saudi efforts to calm
the situation in Lebanon and end its political crisis. Iran supports Lebanon's
Shiite Hezbollah group, which is trying to topple the U.S.- and Saudi-backed
government.

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.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070304/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saudi_iran

(Reuters)

Ahmadinejad, Saudi king reject sectarian strife

By Souhail Karam

37 minutes ago

RIYADH (Reuters) - Sunni and Shi'ite heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran
agreed on Saturday to fight the spread of sectarian strife that threatens
to spill over from their neighbor Iraq, the Saudi foreign minister said.

Saudi King Abdullah held talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
who was on his first official trip to Saudi Arabia. A Saudi official said
earlier the kingdom would seek Iran's help to ease sectarian tensions in
Iraq erupting into full-blown civil war.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070304/wl_nm/saudi_iran_dc

[Vidar]

3. Could be good news for Iran. Saudis keep shrub on a pretty tight leash.

[oblivious]

4. King Abdallah: "the enemies of the world of Islam seek to sow discord between Iran and Saudi Arabia"

For his part, the Saudi king honored the memory of the Founder of the Islamic Republic, the Late Imam Khomeini, and introduced his country as a friendly state for the Islamic Republic.

He noted the two countries' developing ties, and said, "The Iranian and Saudi people are two Muslim nations with one single faith, and their relationship is very friendly, despite what is desired by certain states."

King Abdallah reminded that the enemies of the world of Islam seek to sow discord between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and underlined, "Saudi Arabia is the second home to the Iranians. And we should encounter enemies with wisdom and foresight in a bid not to allow materialization of their divisive goals."

He also appreciated the Iranian president for having accepted his invitation and his visit to Riyadh, and expressed regret over the short length of the trip.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8512130242

[ohio2007]

6. ...and yet, some Muslims are "more equal" than others.

So says the Saudi state supported clerics .
That is what those two leaders,walking hand in hand for the media, are pretending doesn't exist.


http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070304/D8NL51O00.html

The rift is deep between these two ideologies of Islam

[HuffleClaw]

5. the only 'tensions' are those created by the jingoism of Bushco.

stupid corporate media

[ohio2007]

7. Islamabad FMs meeting matter of concern: Iran

http://dawn.com/2007/03/04/top2.htm
In that world of misfits, Iran is the odd man out

[oblivious]

8. Jerusalem Post: "Analysis: What actually happened in Riyadh?"

...Abdullah was obviously trying. He sat close to Ahmadinejad, something he doesn't often do with his guests, and tried to smile for the cameras before the meeting.

There are still no details on the conversation itself, but Abdullah apparently warned Ahmadinejad about the Americans, who are increasing their presence in the Persian Gulf. I believe that Abdullah offered to mediate between the Iranians and the Americans, and he has the ability to do so comparatively well. After the first round of talks, they left for dinner, and later resumed talks.

Shortly before midnight, it was announced suddenly that Ahmadinejad was returning to Teheran. I believe that the talks blew up, since it's strange for him not to have stayed at least a night on such an important visit, one that had been prepared ahead of time.

The fact remains that Ahmadinejad and the Saudis did not voice any intention of continuing talks after the visit. Also, no official message on the meeting was published, as is the norm. Ahmadinejad has a hot temper, and he tends to get offended. Maybe he thought that the Saudis were interfering in something that was none of their business.

As he returned to Iran, Ahmadinejad was met at the Teheran airport by reporters. He told them that he had spoken with the Saudis on Iraq, the ethnic issue, Lebanon, and the Palestinians, and did not mention the nuclear program - an additional indication that this was the subject that had caused the crisis.

The Iranian president essentially spurned the Saudis' hand, extended in hopes of preventing a major crisis in the Gulf. The Saudis themselves are also afraid of such a crisis, with its many possible scenarios. Could the 15 percent of their Shi'ite population begin an uprising? Could Iran attack them? This scares them. ...

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894567872&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[ohio2007]

9. So Ahmandinejad refused to discuss his nuclear program

And he ran back to the mullahs to discuss future moves?
That nutjob certainly wasn't a very gracious guest.
It's obvious, the Cold War is on;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/04/wiran04.xml



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070304/ap_on_re_mi_ea/yemen_prisoner_release

[amandabeech]

10. I'm not always certain how positively the current crop of mullahs

view A-jab. I've seen reports indicating that many of them view A-jab as something of a hot head who will only bring more problems to Iran. Some of the mullahs do not seem to be amused by the prospect of economic and diplomatic sanctions and seem to be even less amused by the prospect of being nuked by the U.S. or Israel. They appear to be a bit more pragmatic or at least less suicidal.

Remember, there are serious reports that back in '03, before A-jab, the Iranians were looking for negotiations with the U.S. and were interested in combating the Sunni Islamic extremism of Al Quaeda.

My bet would be that when A-jab comes up for re-election, he will face a serious challenge from someone more pragmatic and with a cooler head.