Hezbollah backs Saudi-Iranian dialogue as vital for stability

Beirut, Aug 27, IRNA -- Hezbollah supports a resumption of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia and views them as essential for the region’s security and stability, a senior party official said Tuesday. “We support a Saudi-Iranian dialogue and we hope it will take effective steps. It is important for the region’s security and its political stability,” Hezbollah’s deputy head Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Tuesday. On Tuesday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal in a meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday underlined the importance of establishment of stability and security in the region. During the meeting today, Amir Abdollahian and Faisal discussed bilateral relations and regional issues, especially the current situation in the region and threats the Muslim Ummah is facing, including savage aggressions by the Zionist regime against the oppressed Palestinian nation. The two sides also studied the process of terrorist acts and extremism at the regional level by using religion as a tool to taint the image Islam by the extremist and terrorist groups, and underlined the importance establishing regional stability and security. Amir Abdollahian and Al-Faisal stressed the importance of opening new page in the political relations between the two countries. Rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran would have ramifications across the Middle East, possibly cooling political and military struggles in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen. In an ice-breaking move between the two countries, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said he had invited his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif to visit Riyadh for talks on divisive issues that have strained relations for years between the two. Zarif has visited other Gulf Arab states. Saudi Arabia has long been wary of Iran’s influence in the region. Saudi-Iranian relations have been further strained by policy differences, particularly over the 3-year-old civil war in Syria, where the two countries support opposing sides. Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf neighbors back rebels fighting to topple Assad’s government. In Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Iran also support opposing sides. While the kingdom backs the Future Movement-led March 14 coalition, Iran supports Hezbollah-led March 8./end