Mini-Kharnival
About that meeting between King Abdullah and Ajad.*
Bloomberg: Saudis warn against attack on Iran.
Reuters: Saudis defend Gulfi nuke plans, slam Iran’s.
CSM: Saudis, Iran, seeking to solve sectarian woes, blame others for strife they are supporting.
Meanwhile, here’s Stratfor:
The significance of the visit, and Saudi Arabia’s own desire to defuse the sectarian tensions, was underscored by the fact that King Abdullah received Ahmadinejad personally at the airport in Riyadh. The Iranians sent a subtle message of their own as well in dispatching Ahmadinejad for the summit. A fiery and controversial speaker, he is viewed as the embodiment of all that impedes Iran from having smooth relations with the international community (though he does not control Tehran’s foreign policy). From Iran’s perspective, sending him to Riyadh signaled to both the Saudis and the Americans that Iran is prepared to do business.
The sectarian conflict in Iraq is now threatening the interests of both Saudi Arabia and Iran, and leaders in both countries know they cannot afford a broader Sunni-Shiite war in the region. Therefore, the rival neighbors have been trying to reach some sort of a geopolitical understanding.
… In this case, no agreements were signed; rather, the meeting itself was an affirmation of details hammered out between Iranian national security chief Ali Larijani and Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan in January.
… Nevertheless, it is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions … Mutual interests and shows of good faith notwithstanding, neither side trusts the other — and in many respects, their strategic objectives are mutually exclusive.
The Saudis are concerned about the Iranian/Shiite challenge to their position in the region and Tehran’s bid for regional hegemony. And the Iranians worry about the close relationship between Riyadh and Washington, as well as emerging Saudi-Israeli dealings. Moreover, the Iranians do not like what they are seeing in Saudi efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Little wonder, then, that the official media’s descriptions of the summit in Riyadh conflicted …
* Yeah, that meeting between King A and Ajad:
In the news, King Abdullah and Ahmadinejad grip and grin in Riyadh:
King A: “It is so wonderful to see you (you unclean shrine-worshipping Persian goat!)”
Ajad: “So nice to meet you! How are the wives and kids? (You backward dune-wandering American lackey!)”
King A: “Are you happy to see me or is that a network of secret agents ready to strike wealthy Gulf States in your pocket?”
Topics: Iran, saudi arabia
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:43 pm on Monday, March 5, 2007
2 Responses to “Mini-Kharnival”
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March 6th, 2007 at 12:32 am
*snort*….it’s like Hitler and Stalin being in the same room!
March 6th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Given the history of dealings in that region of the world, you have to wonder if they were wearing body armor under their clothes.