JEDDAH, 15 September — Prince Abdullah, the regent, held talks here yesterday with Iranian President Muhammad Khatami on the US threat to attack Iraq as well as the worsening situation in Palestine.
The Saudi-Iran talks “focused on the rapid developments in the region and their consequences,” the Saudi Press Agency reported in reference to US plans to launch a military campaign to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
An aide to President Khatami said the two leaders discussed “the situation in the Gulf, particularly in Iraq, in the wake of a looming war” between the United States and Iraq.
“The two leaders discussed major developments in the Middle East, most importantly in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories and the suffering of Palestinians reeling under Israeli siege and atrocities,” SPA said. The two countries called for a just solution to the Palestinian problem. “The two sides also discussed major Islamic and international issues and ways of strengthening bilateral ties,” SPA said.
It was Khatami’s second visit to the Kingdom. Saudi-Iranian relations have been on the mend since a landmark 1999 visit by Khatami.
Both Saudi Arabia and Iran share borders with Iraq, and the Gulf superpowers have opposed a US military strike against Baghdad, saying it would destabilize the entire region. Riyadh has refused to allow any US strike from its territory.
US President George W. Bush warned Thursday that US action against Baghdad was “unavoidable” unless the United Nations disarmed Iraq.
