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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 July 1999 Issue No. 438 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 July 1999 Issue No. 438
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Selling Iran in the Gulf
By Sherine Bahaa"Iran and the Gulf Cooperation countries are neighbours. We ought to be working to develop relations with Iran, and Iran should be working to strengthen ties of friendship, cooperation and good neighbourliness with all the countries in the region." Thus spoke Saudi Defence Minister Prince Sultan Bin Abdel-Aziz, following a meeting this week in Manama with Bahraini officials.
Bahrain was the third leg of a Gulf tour which Prince Sultan embarked upon early this week. He began by visiting Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he met President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan. He then went on to visit Qatar and Bahrain, before concluding his tour in Kuwait on Monday.
In the opinion of observers, the minister's trip was primarily an attempt by the most influential country in the oil-rich Gulf region to restore unity among GCC members, following a row between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over relations with Iran.
UAE officials had publicly expressed their dissatisfaction with Saudi Arabia's growing involvement with Iran, saying that this development was likely to come at the expense of Saudi support for the UAE in its territorial dispute with the Islamic republic over the ownership of three strategic Gulf islands: Greater and Lesser Tunb, and Abu Moussa.
At a meeting of GCC foreign ministers in Riyadh last month, the participants failed for the first time since the establishment of the Council in 1981 to issue a final statement, due to differences between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Following Qatari mediation, the Gulf ministers met again in Riyadh two weeks ago, when they issued a statement linking progress in relations with Iran to the resolution of the dispute with the UAE over the three islands. They also agreed to form a tripartite committee that would include Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, to promote dialogue between Iran and the UAE.
In Kuwait, Prince Sultan confirmed that "solving the problem of the three Gulf islands is the basis for cooperation between the two sides [Iran and the Gulf countries]." He added that the Iranian leadership "should not make the issue of the UAE islands the only goal of their cooperation [with the Gulf countries], though they are the basis for that cooperation." Sultan added that "Iran should consider its mutual interests with the members of the GCC, as well as the UAE's demands." He also denied that the GCC was mediating between Iran and the United States. "That is a matter for the concerned parties only."
Mohamed El-Said Idris, an expert in Gulf affairs, said that Saudi Arabia had a different perspective on this issue from its neighbours. "Saudi Arabia believes that improving ties with Iran would help improve relations between Iran and the other Gulf countries," said Idris.
"Moreover, it could also provide a boost to the moderate tendency within the Iranian regime," Idris pointed out.
"Iran has been trying for a long time to break its regional and international isolation by restoring ties with other key countries in the Middle East, The countries at the top of that list are Saudi Arabia and Egypt," said Idris. He added that "success in laying the foundations for Saudi-Iranian dialogue would definitely be an important factor in determining future policy towards Iraq."
Indeed, Saudi Arabia was always unlikely to sacrifice its interests regarding Iran, even after the recent dispute with the UAE. "The balanced statement that came out of the Gulf ministerial meeting was simply a compromise," Idris explained.
In his opinion, "UAE pressure on Saudi Arabia, together with the latter's eagerness to preserve the unity of the Council, all worked towards a settlement that helped reinforce [Saudi Arabia's] regional influence."
Abdel-Khalek Abdallah, a UAE professor of political science, said that setbacks are a common experience for all regional groupings such as the GCC. "What happened inside the council is a clear example of this. The differences were so marked, some observers were on the verge of announcing the death of the GCC. However, some common ground and a simple mechanism enabled the members to produce a comprehensive deal acceptable to both parties."
The tripartite committee formed by the GCC foreign ministers to solve the dispute between Iran and the UAE held its first meeting in Jeddah on Saturday. The committee is expected to submit a report to the GCC summit scheduled to be held in May. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal refused to tell reporters the outcome of the first meeting, saying that "the results of the committee meeting are for the committee members alone."
However, the Iranian reaction to this compromise was less than encouraging. "We do not see any need for mediation," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. "If the committee wants to encourage the UAE to hold direct talks with Iran, that is another matter."
He added that "the involvement of the Gulf countries in the process of negotiation or cooperation with the UAE might not be appropriate."
According to Abdallah, when the GCC was first established 18 years ago, Iran was regarded as a major threat to the Gulf region. "But now, Iran is no longer a revolution, but a state," Abdallah explained. "The GCC has to formulate a new approach to a post-revolutionary Iran."
