His Royal Highness Prince Saud Alfaisal, the Foreign Minister, confirmed that Saudi Arabia has a very frank and open relationship with Iran, noting that Iran is an old nation with a deep-rooted history and that it has a great potential to be a stabilizing force in the region.
In a press conference he held in Washington last night, he added that a leading nation in a region has to take into consideration the interests of other countries in its strategy.
His Royal Highness confirmed that decisions concerning weapons of mass destruction cannot be handled independently, but must take into consideration the interests of other countries.
He added that the policy, which was agreed upon was always to make the Gulf region, and the Middle East in general, free of weapons of mass destruction.
"We will continue to have dialogue with the Iranians, we will mention these worries that we have, and we are sure that we can reach an accommodation in which all interests of the countries in the region are taken in a collective manner so that we can make sure an important region of the world is secure and stable," he said.
In reply to a question about the role of Iran in Iraq, His Royal Highness said: "We are members of a group contiguous with Iraq, and Iran is one of the important members of this group, established basically to keep people from interfering in Iraq. Now Iraq, which is also a member of this group, is complaining about interference from Iran. If this is true and there is interference from Iran, then that will be very dangerous."
In reply to a question about the type of interference of which the Iraqis are complaining, His Royal Highness said it included people coming in, money and weapons being brought in and interference in the political life.
In reply to a question about the Saudi position on referring Iran's nuclear file to the Security Council, His Royal Highness Prince Saud Alfaisal confirmed that Saudi Arabia preferred dialogue, describing Iran as one who listens and accepts giving and taking as an alternative to confrontation.
His Royal Highness expressed his hope that Iran does not want a nuclear weapon.
In response to questions from reporters, Prince Saud Alfaisal lauded the relations binding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Syria. He said: "We have very good relations with Syria and we continuously talk on issues of mutual interest and particularly those that affect the national interest of each country and the general interest of the Arab world."
He emphasized that the Kingdom, as part of Iraq's neighboring countries, aims to prevent interference from other neighboring countries in domestic affairs of Iraq and to assist the Iraqi government to maintain the integration and safety of Iraq. "This is what is discussed at the collective and bilateral levels", he added.
His Royal Highness Prince Saud Alfaisal described the situation in Iraq as very dangerous. "Because the impression is that it is gradually disintegrating. There seems to be no dynamic now that is pulling the country together. All the dynamics are pushing the people away from each other," he said.
His Royal Highness said that the special position of the Kurds in Iraq is nothing new, and it is not a threat to the unity of Iraq or its territorial integrity. But what is dangerous, he said, is the effort to separate the Arab population of Iraq into Shiite and Sunni groups that will be at loggerheads. That was never the case in Iraq, he said. "Even at the time of Saddam Hussein there was no real problems between Shiites and Sunnis, they were living peacefully together, because they are all Arabs and Iraqis."
His Royal Highness confirmed that the disintegration and dividing of Iraq is what worries the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iraq's neighbors, as it could drag the neighboring countries into conflict.
In reply to a question about the present role of the United States in Iraq, Prince Saud Alfaisal said: "What I am trying to say is that unless something is done to bring the people of Iraq together, a constitution alone or an election alone won't do it. What we are suggesting is that Iraqis should be urged to unite, that the Shiites ought to open channels and bring their Sunni brethren away from the resistance groups and involve them in the the political process that is going on."
When asked whether he has carried this message to the American Administration, His Royal Highness Prince Saud Alfaisal said: "I wouldn't talk to the press in anyway different than I would talk to anybody else."
