.Rice seeks Saudi help to stabilise Iraq
shannon, Ireland • US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday she plans to ask Saudi Arabia to do more to help stabilise Iraq, encouraging it to influence Iraqi Sunnis to become more involved in the political process.
Speaking as she flew to the Middle East, Rice said she planned during her trip to talk to US allies in the region about how they can assist the Iraqi and Lebanese governments as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Condoleezza Rice arrived yesterday in Jeddah on the first leg of a Middle East tour set to be dominated by the Iran nuclear stand-off.
Efforts to restart the stalled Middle East peace process were also on the agenda for Rice’s talks with Saudi leaders.
Rice’s trip to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories is her first journey to the region since a July visit at height of the war between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
During the trip, she plans to have a group meeting with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and the six Gulf Cooperation Council states.
“When Lebanon happened, I think (we) got in very stark relief a clear indication that there are extremist forces and moderate forces (in the Middle East),” she told reporters on the first leg of her trip.
“The countries that we are meeting ... is a group that you would expect to support the emerging moderate forces in Lebanon, in Iraq, and in the Palestinian territories,” she added.
Saudi Arabia considers itself the bastion of mainstream Sunni Islam. But its support for Sunni tribes in Iraq is tempered by concern that Saudi Islamists who have gone to fight alongside insurgents could return to fight in Saudi Arabia.
“I want the Saudis’ involvement in the stabilisation of Iraq. I want the Saudis’ involvement in the stabilisation of Lebanon through resources and political support,” she said.
“Saudi Arabia has a lot of standing with a number of the forces in Iraq and they have actually been very helpful in trying to get Sunnis involved in the election,” Rice said.
“So I think it would be very helpful if they were supportive of, and working toward, helping Prime Minister (Nuri) Al Maliki’s national reconciliation plan,” she added.
“They can rally people around the national reconciliation government. They have a lot of contacts among the tribes.”
“They have already been helpful. I’d like them to continue to be helpful,” she added.
Saudi officials have expressed fears that sectarian violence in Iraq between Sunni groups and the Shi’ite-dominated government could spill over Iraq’s borders into neighbouring countries or lead to the break-up of the country.
On the aircraft to Shannon, Ireland, where she made a stopover yesterday on the way to Saudi Arabia, Rice said the six-nation group trying to persuade Iran to drop its nuclear activities could meet later this week in Europe.
“We did have a discussion on the importance of remaining firm on (UN) Resolution 1696 which means that if the Iranians don’t suspend, then we go to the Security Council for sanctions,” she said.
The five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany, have offered Iran both economic and diplomatic incentives, including a pledge not to slap sanctions on the country, to persuade Tehran to drop its nuclear activities.
So far Iran has vowed to continue its uranium enrichment programme.
The Peninsula
You see what I mean, it's all about the size or the rock.
Speaking as she flew to the Middle East, Rice said she planned during her trip to talk to US allies in the region about how they can assist the Iraqi and Lebanese governments as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Condoleezza Rice arrived yesterday in Jeddah on the first leg of a Middle East tour set to be dominated by the Iran nuclear stand-off.
Efforts to restart the stalled Middle East peace process were also on the agenda for Rice’s talks with Saudi leaders.
Rice’s trip to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories is her first journey to the region since a July visit at height of the war between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
During the trip, she plans to have a group meeting with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and the six Gulf Cooperation Council states.
“When Lebanon happened, I think (we) got in very stark relief a clear indication that there are extremist forces and moderate forces (in the Middle East),” she told reporters on the first leg of her trip.
“The countries that we are meeting ... is a group that you would expect to support the emerging moderate forces in Lebanon, in Iraq, and in the Palestinian territories,” she added.
Saudi Arabia considers itself the bastion of mainstream Sunni Islam. But its support for Sunni tribes in Iraq is tempered by concern that Saudi Islamists who have gone to fight alongside insurgents could return to fight in Saudi Arabia.
“I want the Saudis’ involvement in the stabilisation of Iraq. I want the Saudis’ involvement in the stabilisation of Lebanon through resources and political support,” she said.
“Saudi Arabia has a lot of standing with a number of the forces in Iraq and they have actually been very helpful in trying to get Sunnis involved in the election,” Rice said.
“So I think it would be very helpful if they were supportive of, and working toward, helping Prime Minister (Nuri) Al Maliki’s national reconciliation plan,” she added.
“They can rally people around the national reconciliation government. They have a lot of contacts among the tribes.”
“They have already been helpful. I’d like them to continue to be helpful,” she added.
Saudi officials have expressed fears that sectarian violence in Iraq between Sunni groups and the Shi’ite-dominated government could spill over Iraq’s borders into neighbouring countries or lead to the break-up of the country.
On the aircraft to Shannon, Ireland, where she made a stopover yesterday on the way to Saudi Arabia, Rice said the six-nation group trying to persuade Iran to drop its nuclear activities could meet later this week in Europe.
“We did have a discussion on the importance of remaining firm on (UN) Resolution 1696 which means that if the Iranians don’t suspend, then we go to the Security Council for sanctions,” she said.
The five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany, have offered Iran both economic and diplomatic incentives, including a pledge not to slap sanctions on the country, to persuade Tehran to drop its nuclear activities.
So far Iran has vowed to continue its uranium enrichment programme.
The Peninsula
You see what I mean, it's all about the size or the rock.
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