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Kerry in Riyadh to talk Iran, Syria with Gulf Arabs Syria, Iran top agenda as Kerry meets wary Arabs in Saudi
(about 9 hours later)
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Saudi Arabia for talks with Gulf Arab officials on their deteriorating relations with Iran and on the Syria peace process. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Gulf Arab officials on Saturday to ease their concerns about warming U.S.-Iranian ties and seek consensus on which Syrian opposition groups should be represented at upcoming peace talks.
Kerry arrived in Riyadh early Saturday from Switzerland, where he said he was going to meet with wary U.S. partners in the Gulf to discuss the way forward with Iran now that the landmark nuclear deal has been implemented. He said he would also continue pressing for consensus on which Syrian opposition groups should be represented at the United Nations-led negotiations, due to start Monday in Geneva. Kerry held talks in Riyadh with foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council who have sided with Saudi Arabia in its spat with Iran and who back the rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key Iranian ally.
Shiite-led Iran and Sunni-ruled Gulf Arab states support opposite sides in the Syria conflict and disagree on which Syrian groups should be eligible for the talks. Animosity over Iran’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad has broadened in recent weeks after Saudi Arabia executed a Shiite cleric, prompting an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Saudi Arabia and some other Arab states then severed diplomatic relations with Iran and have launched campaigns accusing it of being behind numerous terrorist attacks around the world. The five nations are concerned about the security ramifications of the Iran nuclear deal, which was implemented earlier this month and has given Tehran access to billions in formerly frozen assets. Kerry was also to meet with Saudi King Salman, the deputy crown prince and foreign minister, as well as the chief negotiator for the Saudi-backed Syrian opposition.
The spat had led to fears that the Syrian political transition could be jeopardized, but each country has pledged that its rancor will not affect the negotiations. U.S. officials say Washington supports Saudi Arabia in its feud with Iran but would like to see tensions eased to prevent further regional destabilization and complications in the U.N.-led Syrian peace process that is supposed to begin next week in Geneva.
A senior State Department official said the U.S. backs its longtime partner Saudi Arabia in the feud but would like to see both Iran and Saudi Arabia put this episode behind them. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly to the delicate diplomacy, said there had been no signs yet that Saudi-Iran hostility was compromising the Syria peace effort. Shiite-led Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia are longtime regional rivals who support opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Relations plunged to a new low when Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite opposition cleric earlier this month, drawing outrage from Shiites across the region and igniting mob attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.
However, there are still serious disagreements over who can represent the opposition at the talks, which diplomats say are likely to be delayed for several days. Saudi Arabia and some of its allies responded to those attacks by cutting diplomatic ties with Tehran, and accusing Tehran of being behind numerous terrorist attacks around the world over the past three decades.
Before leaving Switzerland, Kerry said the rivalry remained a concern. He added that despite the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, the U.S. remained deeply troubled about destabilizing Iranian actions in the region. He said he would renew America’s commitment to the security of its Arab friends in the Middle East while he was in Riyadh. Although both Riyadh and Tehran have said the mutual animosity won’t affect the Syria talks, there are still serious disagreements over who can represent the opposition at the negotiations, which were initially supposed to begin on Monday but are likely to be delayed for several days.
In Switzerland, before leaving for Saudi Arabia, Kerry said the rivalry remained a concern.
He said that despite implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, the U.S. remained deeply troubled about destabilizing Iranian actions in the region. He said he would renew America’s commitment to the security of its Arab friends in the Middle East while he was in Riyadh.
“There is no sudden transformation in these other concerns,” he said of Iran. “They exist and we will continue to be vigilant and engaged about them. And that is part of what I’m going to Saudi Arabia about: to make sure our friends see clearly how we will go forward on, together, to address those kinds of concerns.”“There is no sudden transformation in these other concerns,” he said of Iran. “They exist and we will continue to be vigilant and engaged about them. And that is part of what I’m going to Saudi Arabia about: to make sure our friends see clearly how we will go forward on, together, to address those kinds of concerns.”
Kerry said he hoped Syria could become a focal point for improving relations, as all counties have an interest in defeating the Islamic State group and al-Qaida affiliates like the al-Nusra Front. Kerry said he hoped Syria could become a focal point for improving relations, as all counties have an interest in defeating the Islamic State group and the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front.
“There is something that does bring them closer in terms of Syria, and that is called Daesh,” he said, using the Islamic State’s Arabic acronym. “Both want to kill Daesh. They both want Daesh and Nusra terminated as threats.” “There is something that does bring them closer in terms of Syria, and that is called Daesh,” he said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. “Both want to kill Daesh. They both want Daesh and Nusra terminated as threats.”
Kerry is in Saudi Arabia on the second leg of his latest round-the-world diplomatic mission, which will also take him to Laos, Cambodia and China. Kerry is in Saudi Arabia on the second leg of his latest round-the-world diplomatic mission, which began in Switzerland and will also take him to Laos, Cambodia and China.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.