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Iran-Arab Dialogue Would Help Resolve Crises

Iran-Arab Dialogue Would Help Resolve Crises
Iran-Arab Dialogue Would Help Resolve Crises

Lawmakers said the Arab League's readiness to hold "a useful dialogue" with Iran could help resolve some of the regional crises, but added that the organization is in no position to impose preconditions for such talks.

Shahrouz Barzegar, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, also told ICANA in a recent talk that "when such an offer is proposed by the Arab League's secretary-general, we cannot brush it off because it shows [Arab states] have realized the influence of Iran in the region."

He, however, noted that Iran would not accept any precondition for such discussions.

During his speech at the Rome 2017 Mediterranean Dialogues last Thursday, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said, "If Iran changes its behavior, Arabs are ready for a useful dialogue."

He said there are "several points on which there is no agreement on security among Arab states", adding that "coming to an agreement on issues like Israel, Palestine, Iran and nuclear power would be a base on which to work."

Lawmaker Kamal Dehqani said Iran's strategy concerning issues with the Arab world, as stated by the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, is to resolve the disputes through dialogue.

"Military solutions need to be superseded by diplomatic ones," he added.

Dehqani criticized the role of "reactionary Arab states" in financing and supporting terrorist groups, saying that their actions wreaked havoc on Iraq and Syria.

"The best thing that the Arab League can do at the moment is to make Saudi Arabia enter into dialogue with Yemen and Qatar so that their problems can be resolved," he said.

"The weight of the Arab League can be determined by how [a successful role it can play] to solve the Yemeni crisis," he concluded.

A US-backed Saudi-led coalition has been ceaselessly pounding Yemen since March 2015 to reinstall a former regime allied to Riyadh.

Saudi forces have been widely accused of committing war crimes during the campaign in the impoverished country, where reports on the ground suggest they have blown up international hospitals, funerals, schools and weddings. Peace talks led by the UN have been frozen since August 2016 after discussions failed to produce any agreement.

Riyadh has also spearheaded a group of four Arab nations to launch a blockade of Qatar since early June, accusing Doha of supporting "terrorism".

Gheit's call for dialogue with Iran comes as the Arab League delivered a harsh criticism against Tehran just two weeks ago, accusing it of destabilizing the region.

The bloc said they planned to "brief" the UN Security Council on Iran's alleged destabilizing policies in the region.

Iran's Foreign Ministry later rejected the Saudi-imposed Arab League resolution, saying that "instead of issuing repetitive and baseless resolutions, Saudi Arabia should stop its interference and pressure on Arab nations like Qatar, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria."

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