Iranian lawmakers voiced approval of the Qatari emir's offer of establishing a shared "security settlement" in the Middle East, saying the status quo in the region has shown repeated failures.
In a recent talk with ICANA, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, spokesman of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said, "The present conditions in the Middle East indicate that past alliances were unable to solve regional problems and tensions."
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani called for a comprehensive security settlement in the Middle East, saying the region needs to be brought back from the brink of disaster.
"I believe that it is time for wider regional security in the Middle East. It is time for all nations of the region to forget the past, including us, and agree on basic security principles and rules of governance, and at least a minimum level of security to allow for peace and prosperity," he said, adding that a future governance model for the region could be based on the European Union.
Security Networking
His remarks strike a chord with a proposal by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggesting "security networking" in the Middle East that is independent of foreign players and is based on the interests of all regional states.
Pointing to the ongoing Saudi-led blockade of Qatar and the inefficiency of the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council, Hosseini said, "This crisis shows that the council has in effect reached its end."
He said the council, which has been formed to represent the littoral states of the Persian Gulf, does not include Iran and therefore cannot be a source to draw on when there is a problem affecting the whole region.
Root of Tension
Lawmaker Mohammad Javad Jamali underlined extra-regional players' military presence in the region as one of the main causes of tensions and said for an inclusive security agreement to be implemented such forces must leave the region.
He also criticized the Saudi big brother approach regarding other Arab states, saying, "the other problem in the [P]GCC is that Saudis think they have control over others and want to dictate their wishes on them."
Qatar, a tiny but rich Persian Gulf Arab state, has been isolated over the past seven months by trade and travel sanctions imposed by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt over accusations—denied by Doha—that it supports terrorism and regional rival Iran.
