Arab FMs set to meet on Iranian dispute

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) KUWAIT Jan 4 (KUNA) -- As attacks by groups of people on two Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran on Saturday continue to draw condemnation from around the globe Arab foreign ministers prepare to meet on the issue in Cairo next week.
The meeting slated for Sunday is expected to denounce the attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad as well as Iranian flagrant interferences in the domestic affairs of Arab countries the Arab League said in a statement on Monday.
Earlier on Monday the Kuwaiti cabinet strongly condemned in a statement following its weekly meeting Iranian hostile remarks and attacks as "acts of sabotage" and "blatant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961." The cabinet members reiterated that Kuwait stands side by side with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and supports all measures it might adopt to maintain its security and stability.
Meanwhile the Chairman of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) and Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim also condemned the hostile acts as a flagrant violation of Iran's commitment to protect diplomatic missions and guarantee the safety of diplomatic staff it hosts.
He reaffirmed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and full support for the statement of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in this regard.
Al-Ghanim also announced a plan to convene an emergency National Assembly meeting in camera to discuss the accelerating tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran in the wake of the former's decision to sever ties with Iran.
Another GCC member state Bahrain followed Saudi Arabia in the decision to sever its own diplomatic relations with Iran declaring all Iranian diplomats persona non grata after 48 hours.
The Bahraini cabinet had condemned in a statement following its weekly meeting the "Iranian hostile acts as unacceptable and barbaric" and a "blatant violation of diplomatic norms." The severing of relations with Iran was made due to its repeated interference in Bahrain's internal affairs and its support for "terrorist" movements said Bahrain's Minister of State for Media Affairs Isa Al-Hammadi.
The minister added that a cache of explosives was discovered in Bahrain last September noting that investigations reveal Iran had "provided logistic support and training to some terrorist elements." Furthermore he said that "five terrorists were arrested as they committed a blast in Sitra south of Manama killing two security men and injuring six others last July." He referred to statements by some of Iran's officials against Bahrain which he deemed were interference in Bahrain's internal affairs adding that it has been supporting some terrorist organizations in the region over the past years.
"This requires the formation of an Arab coalition seeking to safeguard our (Gulf) nations and the Arab region" he explained.
In Tunis the Arab Interior Ministers' Council firmly condemned the aggression on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran and considered it "a clear violation of all international laws and norms of diplomacy." It expressed "categorical rejection" of any external attempt that might target the security of any Arab country and commended Riyadh's efforts to bolster security and peace throughout the Arab region.
The Council also voiced "full support" to the measures taken by Saudi Arabia to counter terrorism and guarantee security of citizens and all Arab people.
The international community in turn has condemned the attacks with Washington Moscow London and Ankara all urging both sides to resolve their differences in a peaceful manner.
In Moscow Russia's Foreign Ministry criticized the dual attacks on the Saudi diplomatic mission and reminded Iran of its commitment to protect the safety of all foreign missions it hosts.
Attacking a diplomatic mission can by no means be deemed a legitimate way to express protest or political views the ministry said in a press release.
It voiced serious concern over the deterioration of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran calling on both sides to address their differences through dialogue.
The White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that US officials continue to be concerned about the need for both the Iranians and the Saudis to "de-escalate the situation." US officials "are urging all sides to show restraint and to not further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region" Earnest said during a briefing in Washington.
Secretary of State John Kerry has been in touch with his Iranian counterpart and US diplomatic officials in Saudi Arabia have been in touch with their counterparts to convey this message Earnest said.
"I would anticipate that Secretary Kerry will be in touch with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia at some point soon as well to deliver that same message.
"We believe there is more that can be done by people on all sides to try to bridge those divides in a way that advances the interests of countries all across the region" he added.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron expressed profound concern over the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
"It is hugely concerning because of course we want to see stability in the Middle East - not least because that will be absolutely essential for solving the crisis in Syria which is the source of so many of these problems" Cameron said.
On a similar note Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus called on both countries to deescalate the tension lest the situation in the Middle East region could go from worse to worst.
Both countries have to put aside their differences as early as possible and act in a more moderate way in order to ensure that the tensions in the region will not spiral out of control he said.
Turkey which maintains close ties with both countries believes that hostility between them will necessarily harm not only the two peoples but the entire region as well Kurtulmus noted.

In Madrid the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation blasted the aggressions against the Saudi diplomatic facilities in Iran.
The attacks run counter to the provisions of the international conventions the ministry said in a statement tonight calling on Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume dialogue in order to overcome the current crisis.
Similarly the Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastien Kurz phoned his Saudi and Iranian counterparts Adel Al-Jubair and Mohammad Javad Zarif respectively to urge them to deescalate the tension according to Austria Press Agency.
Kurz highlighted the need of resuming the dialogue between Riyadh and Tehran and voiced concern about the possibility that the current tension could impact negatively on the efforts to resolve the conflicts in the Middle East.
As two major powers in the region the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran need to reach understanding about how to settle the Syrian conflict and other disputes in the region the minister added. hnd.amg.gb