U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday stood by ally Saudi Arabia in its widening rift with Iran over the execution of a Shiite cleric while urging the regional rivals to pursue a diplomatic solution, the Associated Press reports.
Kerry said Washington stands by its friends, “but we also want to see diplomacy work. We want to try to see if there’s a way, moving forward, to resolve some of these problems without moving to greater conflict.”
Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir met at a London hotel yesterday to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual importance to the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Secretary Kerry said countries in the Mideast “should not interfere in the affairs of others,” referencing Saudi charges that Iran foments Shiite unrest throughout the Sunni monarchies of the Persian Gulf, the AP said.
“[W]e’re going to be continuing our conversation. And we agree – first of all, the alliance, the friendship between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains a linchpin of our efforts in the region; it’s important. We both agree with that on both sides, and we have a lot of work to do together,” Secretary Kerry said of the U.S.-Saudi relationship.
Al-Jubeir also lauded the importance of the U.S.-Saudi relationship.
“If you look at the challenges that our region faces, whether in Syria, whether in Yemen, whether terrorism, whether in Iran’s interference in the affairs of the region, there – and whether in Libya – the most effective way historically for us to work through these challenges is by our – through our close partnership and alliance with the United States of America. And it is always when we consult intensely and work very closely together that we’re able to overcome these challenges, as we did the challenge of Saddam Hussein’s occupation – invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 1990, as we did subsequent challenges, and as we did in terms of the war against terrorism over the past 15 years.
“We are both committed to this relationship and we’re both committed to working to broaden and deepen it in all spheres, and we are both committed to dealing with the challenges that our region faces in a way that preserves the interests of our two great nations and contributes to the prosperity, well-being, safety, and security of our respective citizens.”
In a separate interview with reporters in London, FM Al-Jubeir blasted critics of Saudi Arabia’s active regional policies.
“Now that Saudi Arabia has stepped up… people are saying ‘why are the Saudis doing this, it reckless.’ It’s one of those positions of it’s damned if we do, damned if we don’t. Make up your mind. Do you want us to lead or do you want us to support? And if you want us to support, whose going to lead?”
