Iran Urges Dialogue Among Arab States

Date: 05 June 2017 - 21:22

News ID: ۴۰۲۶۱

TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry Monday urged Qatar and neighboring Persian Gulf Arab countries that have severed diplomatic ties with the gas-rich peninsula to engage in dialogue.
"The solution to differences between states in the region, including the current problem between Qatar and its three neighbors, is only possible through political and peaceful methods and dialogue between the parties," spokesman Bahram Qassemi said in a statement published on the ministry's website.
He said increased tension among its southern neighbors "is not to the benefit of any governments in the region and threatens the interests of all" at a time when the world was "suffering widespread terrorism and extremism".
"Using sanctions in today's integrated world is inefficient, to be condemned and unacceptable," Qassemi added of Qatar's neighbors closing all land, sea and air links with it.
"Protecting the national sovereignty of independent governments, avoiding interference in their internal affairs and respecting recognized international borders are internationally recognized and fundamental rights which must be respected by all sides."
Hamid Aboutalebi, deputy chief of staff of Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, said Saudi-led severing of diplomatic ties with Qatar is the first fallout from Donald Trump's visit to the region last month.
The trip marked the U.S. clinching a record $110-billion arms deal with the kingdom, accompanied by a sword dance which caught many eyes.
"What is happening is the preliminary result of the sword dance," Aboutalebi tweeted.
The official took aim at a Saudi-led military coalition which was branded as "Arab NATO" during Trump's visit as Iran was cited an adversary.
"I had already written that the era of creating coalitions and Big Brothers is over, and political domination, security clannishness, occupation, and invasion is not going to bring about anything other than insecurity,” Aboutalebi wrote.
"Today, I am writing that the era of sanctions is over too, and cutting diplomatic ties, closing borders, laying sieges on countries, and ejecting countries out of the selfsame coalition, etc. is not the way out of the crisis,” he added.
Aboutalebi chided Saudi Arabia and its allies for the "fragile" coalition, saying these countries have no other option but to start regional dialog.
"Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain which are fragile to such an extent in the face of a small country have no other way than democracy inside and dialog in the region," he said.
"The question is how a small country has been able to topple the Bahraini government, support Daesh and Al-Qaeda as well as extremism in the Sinai Peninsula and cause split in the coalition," he wrote, referring to each of the accusations which the four countries have cited in cutting ties with Qatar.