Tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia nearing end: Iraq PM
Iran Saudi Arabia
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi has said that end to years of tension between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia is near. He was quoted in an interview that was published on Saturday (April 30).
Iraq is a neighbour of both Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iran, a Shia nation has for years vied for influence in West Asia against Saudi Arabia, a Sunni nation. Over the past year, Iran has hosted five rounds of talks between the two countries.
Following the latest round in Baghdad, Iraqi officials have sounded increasingly optimistic, talking of an imminent sixth session and even going so far as to raise the prospect of a resumption in diplomatic relations severed in 2016.
Iran and the Saudi kingdom support rival sides in several conflict zones across the region, including in Yemen where the Huthi rebels are backed by Tehran, and Riyadh leads a military coalition supporting the government.
In 2016, Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom executed Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Riyadh responded by cutting ties with Tehran.
"Our brothers in Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran approach the dialogue with a big responsibility as demanded by the current regional situation," Kadhemi said in his interview with the state-owned Al-Sabah newspaper.
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"We are convinced that reconciliation is near," which would benefit regional stability, said Kadhemi, who Iraqi diplomats say attended the most recent meeting.
(With inputs from agencies)