Iran, Saudi Arabia in direct talks over crisis in Syria

Iran, Saudi Arabia in direct talks
Atul Aneja – 14 August, 2012 – The Hindu

Ahmadinejad in kingdom at the personal invitation of King

Arch rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia would hold direct talks in Mecca to address the crisis in Syria and cool the region’s growing sectarian divide.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is leading the Iranian delegation which arrived in Medina on Monday — a day ahead of the two-day conference in Mecca of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The Iranian President is visiting the Kingdom at the personal invitation of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz — in itself a strong signal of the urgency that Riyadh attaches to this meeting.

Syria is expected to top the agenda of the talks, where forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad — backed by Iran — appear to have rooted out opposition fighters — backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey — from the embattled city of Aleppo.

The visiting delegation has been carefully chosen: it includes Ali-Akbar Velayati, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s trusted lieutenant on foreign affairs. Also in the team are Mr. Ahmadinejad’s two insiders — Rahim Mashaee, the head of the presidential office, who also happens to be the President’s brother-in-law; and senior adviser Mojtaba Samareh-Hashemi, known also for his close ties with the elite Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is also part of the high-powered delegation, which represents all the major pillars of the Iranian establishment.

Analysts point out that with the Syrian regime refusing to cave-in to the externally-backed onslaught by the opposition’s so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA), a recalibration of tactics may be on the cards.

Expressing a sense of realism, the Iranian delegation acknowledged that the two countries had major differences to bridge. “By attending the summit, we will express our viewpoints and try to bridge the gaps and narrow the differences through dialogue,” said Mr. Salehi, the Foreign Minister.

Iran’s solid support for Mr. Assad was recently underscored by Saeed Jalili, the head of the Iranian National Security Council, during a visit to Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. But without referring to Mr. Assad directly, Mr. Jalili told a Lebanese television channel on Sunday — a day ahead of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s departure — that Iran was ready for a transition in Syria, provided it was internally driven; without external intervention; and based on genuine democratic elections.

Iran’s recent spurt of diplomatic activism includes the hosting of a conference last week in Tehran on Syria in which 29 countries participated. At the month-end, Tehran will also play host to a summit of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM), during which the situation in Syria is likely to feature strongly.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have been at loggerheads over the human rights situation in Bahrain, following the intervention of Saudi troops to quell pro-democracy protests. Saudi Arabia, on its part, has been suggesting that Iran is supporting the unrest in its oil-rich eastern province. . …more