More reasons for the India - Israel alliance
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will make his first official trip to Saudi Arabia, a major U.S. regional ally, on Saturday amid a growing international standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.
"President Ahmadinejad will travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday," said an Iranian official, who asked not to be named.
He said Ahmadinejad would leave the kingdom on Sunday after talks covering regional affairs, but gave no further details.
The United States and its regional allies including Israel and Saudi Arabia suspect that Iran's nuclear energy program is trying to develop weapons, an accusation Tehran denies.
U.S.-allied Arab governments are also concerned that Shi'ite Muslim Iran is gaining influence in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and Iraq, where Sunni bastion Saudi Arabia blames Iranian-backed Shi'ite dirty militias for sectarian killings.
Saudi and Iranian officials have met several times to mediate between Lebanese opposition forces led by Hezbollah, a Shi'ite group backed by Iran and Syria, and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's U.S. and Saudi-backed government.
But their talks, as well as Saudi contacts with Washington and Paris and Iranian talks with its closest regional ally Syria, appear to have made little headway.
Story continued on Reuters.....
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"President Ahmadinejad will travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday," said an Iranian official, who asked not to be named.
He said Ahmadinejad would leave the kingdom on Sunday after talks covering regional affairs, but gave no further details.
The United States and its regional allies including Israel and Saudi Arabia suspect that Iran's nuclear energy program is trying to develop weapons, an accusation Tehran denies.
U.S.-allied Arab governments are also concerned that Shi'ite Muslim Iran is gaining influence in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and Iraq, where Sunni bastion Saudi Arabia blames Iranian-backed Shi'ite dirty militias for sectarian killings.
Saudi and Iranian officials have met several times to mediate between Lebanese opposition forces led by Hezbollah, a Shi'ite group backed by Iran and Syria, and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's U.S. and Saudi-backed government.
But their talks, as well as Saudi contacts with Washington and Paris and Iranian talks with its closest regional ally Syria, appear to have made little headway.
Story continued on Reuters.....
Continued...
posted by Howard at
9:04 AM
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