Saudi and Iran

The Gulf Ministerial Council vehemently condemned on Saturday the Iranian violations and attack on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran.

In the statement issued after the council's emergency meeting, the council held the Iranian authorities fully responsible for such terror acts.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Saudi Foreign Minister Adil al Ahmad al Jubayr in Riyadh with the participation of the foreign ministers of Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman.

The statement lashed out at the Iranian interference in the Saudi affairs, referring to the Iranian aggressive and inciting statements concerning the Saudi judicial sentences against a number terrorists.

On January 2, Saudi Arabia executed several people accused of terror offences, including popular Shia cleric Nimr al Nimr.

The council said such acts do not serve peace and security in the region and the world and violate the principles of good neighborhood, non-interference in internal affairs of states and respect of states' sovereignty.

The council said this escalates the situations and instigates more regional crises.

The council stressed support for Saudi Arabia and its decisions for combating all kinds of terror and pursuing perpetrators of terror acts and sedition agitators.

The council hailed the efficiency, independence and impartiality of the Saudi judicial authority.

The council has expressed full support to Saudi Arabia in facing terror attacks on its diplomatic missions in Iran, noting that the council member states will take more appropriate measures to confront such attacks.

The council welcomed the categorical rejection of Arab, Islamic and friendly states as well as the United Nations Security Council for such attacks.

The statement called on all states and the international community with all its regional and international organizations to take serious and effective steps to prevent similar attacks on international diplomatic missions in Iran.

The council also deplored Iran's occupation of three UAE islands, inciting sectarian sedition, backing extremist terror organizations, training them, funding them and inciting them to destabilize the council's member states.

The council cited Bahrain's thwarting of a recent terror scheme and arrest of terror elements that were backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Lebanese Hezbollah group.

The council also agreed on the importance of drawing up an effective mechanism for facing Iranian interference, urging the international community to take needed measures to prod Iran into adhering to good neighborhood principles and halting its activities that are meant to destabilize the region as well as stopping its support for terror and its interference in the internal affairs of council's member states as well as regional states.

Source: MENA