Iran draws flak

Jeddah : British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who was speaking in Saudi Arabia at the start of a three-day visit to Gulf monarchies, said world powers will not “turn a blind eye” to attempts by Iran to destabilise the region.

Hammond said he was reassuring his Gulf counterparts that world powers are closely monitoring Iran in the wake of last year’s nuclear deal which paved the way for a partial lifting of sanctions.

“Just because we’ve made an agreement with Iran on its nuclear programme does not mean that we will turn a blind eye to Iran’s continuing attempts to destabilise the region or to its ballistic missiles programme which remains a serious threat to peace and which breaches UN resolutions,” he said.

Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said, “We supported that agreement so long as we were assured that Iran will not be able to acquire a nuclear capability.”

“They are, after all, a neighbour and we will have to live with them. But it’s difficult to live with a neighbour whose objective is to destroy you: that’s why the relation with Iran is not what it should be,” added Al Jubeir.

Meanwhile, Hammond also welcomed “progress” in Yemen peace talks, saying a solution to the conflict in the battered Arabian Peninsula country must be political, not military.

“In Yemen, progress is being made and we recognise the efforts of the Gulf states, and I have to give particular thanks to Kuwait for hosting the peace negotiations,” Hammond said.

“There is no military alternative to a political settlement in Yemen and there is now a need to win the peace particularly by helping Yemen with stabilisation and humanitarian aid,” he added.

Minister Shaikh Khalid attends meeting

Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa attended the 5th Joint Ministerial Meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council nations and the United Kingdom yesterday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Foreign Ministers reviewed relations of cooperation and the Joint Action Plan, which includes cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and investment, energy, environment and political and security cooperation, as well as cooperation in the fields of education and scientific research, culture and tourism and promoting communication between peoples.

The Ministers welcomed the British proposal of holding a conference on the partnership between the private and public sectors and its role in the implementation of national transformation and economic diversification in the GCC States.

The proposed conference shall be held at the historical residence of the Lord Mayor of London in October. The meeting also emphasised the importance of implementing the joint action plan.