PM, COAS to visit Iran, S. Arabia for mediation

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Raheel Sharif will leave for Saudi Arabia and Iran on Monday to try and defuse tensions between the two regional countries.

An official Arab League source expressed the concern of Arab states in response to the statements of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander and said that “such hostilities and provocative statements” are monitored by the tripartite ministerial committee which was set up specifically to follow the crisis with Iran.

Relations between majority Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia dived after the January 2 ransacking of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate in Mashhad, Iran’s second city.

The top German diplomat will also later visit Riyadh to attend a cultural event and confer with Saudi officials as well. However, Iran does have a basis for representative government and one hopes that the lifting of sanctions will strengthen the hands of the moderates led by President Hassan Rouhani and lead to a further opening up of the country, both politically and economically.

Riyadh, sources said, was interested in including Iran in the alliance if it gave a solemn pledge to play its role in stemming the spread of Da’ish in Syria instead of promoting them against Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia.

It is believed that the trip was called off in view of the visit of the prime minister and the army chief to Riyadh and Tehran.

Saudi Defence Minister was welcomed earlier today at Noor Khan Airbase by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Foreign Advisor Sartaj Aziz and military officials. The UAE downgraded relations while some others recalled their envoys in protest. However, the Iranian government quickly distanced itself from the attack on the Saudi embassy, saying the protesters entered the embassy despite efforts by the police to stop them.

President Xi would visit the three Middle Eastern countries over five days from Tuesday, according to his spokesman. Pakistan has been calling for restraint and has urged both the countries to resolve difference through peaceful means and the sources said that the same was also conveyed to Saudi foreign and defence ministers who visited Pakistan last week.