'Iran should stay out of Arab disputes'

Iran's top diplomat made a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday in an attempt to improve bilateral relations amid rising tensions between the Islamic Republic and the Arab world.Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was met by his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud al-Faisal, at Riyadh Air Force Base and was expected to meet with the Saudi monarch.At a news conference Faisal called for "mutual respect" between his nation and Iran.But Faisal urged Iran to stay out of internal Arab disputes, in particular in Lebanon and among the Palestinians. "Although we appreciate the Iranian concern in Arab issues, from our point of view, this should be conducted through the legitimate Arab doorways."The visit comes after Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria held a mini-summit in Riyadh last week to patch up their differences, which largely revolve around the role of Iran in the region.Syria is Iran's closest Arab ally, something Saudi Arabia and Egypt would like to change. Western-backed Saudi Arabia has long been suspicious of the Iranians, and particularly the country's intentions to gain a strong foothold in Iraq, Abdel Monem Said Aly, director of the Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told The Jerusalem Post.As the US plans to scale back its presence in the country and as there is a now a strong Iranian presence in Iraq itself, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab countries are concerned about the stability of Iraq.In addition, Lebanon faces an important parliamentary election in June and Iranian-backed Hizbullah is both heavily armed and very influential there. As a result, there are questions as to whether the elections will reflect "a balance of power" or "a balance of votes," Said Aly said.Hizbullah, he said, is engaging in a lot of intimidation and blackmail to earn votes, he added.Finally, Iran, which has supported Hamas militarily and financially, has been capitalizing on the Palestinian issue, and its support of the Islamist movement constitutes challenges to Palestinian reconciliation that need to be resolved, Said Aly said.
By Brenda Gazaar and AP
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