US Secretary of State says confident Syria talks can proceed

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday after talks with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in Saudi Arabia that he was confident Syria peace talks would proceed.

Kerry, who spoke in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, after attending a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir on Saturday, said the Saudi decision to launch airstrikes in Yemen was aimed at dealing with the Ansarullah movement and al-Qaeda operatives in the Arab country.

The crisis erupted when Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia executed Shi’ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr earlier that day, triggering outrage among Shi’ites across the region and deepening the political and sectarian rift between the kingdom and the Islamic republic.

Kerry has long sought to calm concerns among his Gulf allies about the overtures to Iran, the world’s leading Shiite power whose relations with Sunni rival Saudi Arabia have worsened this month.

“But we also understand that lessening tensions is an important objective not only for the United States but for the region”.

In its final statement on Thursday evening, the OIC condemned the attacks on Saudi missions and criticised “inflammatory Iranian statements on the implementation of court rulings against a number of perpetrators of terrorist crimes in Saudi Arabia”.

Analysts say the dispute may dampen chances for peace talks to end wars in Yemen and Syria, where the two regional archrivals back opposing sides.

After speaking with the U.S. Secretary of State, Jubeir said he does not foresee the warming relations between the United States and Iran.

“They exist and we will continue to be vigilant and engaged about them”.

“Iran remains the world’s chief sponsor of terrorism”, he said, adding that Arab states are ready “to confront” Iran’s interference.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, in line with its fundamental policy, expresses its readiness for interaction to settle mutual issues with Saudi Arabia and stresses the importance of Riyadh’s return from its wrong policies … to the path of moderation, wisdom and dialog along with mutual respect”, he said.

“Overall I think the United States is very aware of the danger of Iran’s mischief and nefarious activities… And that is part of what I’m going to Saudi Arabia about: to make sure our friends see clearly how we will go forward on, together, to address those kinds of concerns”.

Kerry said the United States has assured the six countries in the GCC that “the United States, as we have said many times, will stand with them against any external threat and defend, if necessary, together with them against those threats”.