Saudi Arabia, Iran held talks more than once in Iraq - Iraqi president
FILE PHOTO: Iraq s President Barham Salih attends a session at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse reuters tickers
This content was published on May 5, 2021 - 17:35
May 5, 2021 - 17:35
By John Davison
BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Iraq has hosted more than one round of talks between regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iraqi President Barham Salih said on Wednesday.
Salih made his remarks during an interview broadcast live online with the Beirut Institute think tank. He gave no more details.
Diplomats hope the opening of direct channels between Iran and Saudi Arabia will signal a calming of tensions across the Middle East after years of hostilities that have brought the region close to a full-scale conflict.
Iraqi President Barham Salih says his country has hosted multiple rounds of talks between Saudi and Iranian officials, confirming reports of diplomacy to defuse tensions between the Middle Eastern rivals.
May. 5, 2021
Iraq has hosted more than one round of talks between regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iraqi President Barham Salih said on Wednesday.
Salih made his remarks during an interview broadcast live online with the Beirut Institute think tank. He gave no more details.
Diplomats hope the opening of direct channels between Iran and Saudi Arabia will signal a calming of tensions across the Middle East after years of hostilities that have brought the region close to a full-scale conflict.
Baghdad hosted talks between officials from its two neighbors and mutual adversaries on April 9 in the only round of talks to have been previously reported.
May 5, 2021
Iraqi President Barham Salih confirmed Wednesday that Baghdad has hosted more than one round of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in what marks the first official acknowledgment of Iraqi mediation in the regional dispute.
Reuters reported that Salih revealed the Saudi-Iran talks during a live interview with the Beirut Institute think tank, saying the discussions first took place early last month and have occurred “more than once.” He didn’t comment further on the nature of the talks, adding only that they were “important and significant.”
The two regional powerhouses have long been at odds and have competed for influence in various proxy wars across the Middle East. In 2016, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran following violent protests at its embassy in Iran, which were triggered by Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric.
Asked how many rounds of Saudi-Iranian talks Iraq had hosted, Iraqi PM Salih replied: More than once
Reuters
May 05, 2021
Iraq has hosted more than one round of talks between regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iraqi President Barham Salih said on Wednesday.
Salih made his remarks during an interview broadcast live online with the Beirut Institute think tank. He gave no more details.
Diplomats hope the opening of direct channels between Iran and Saudi Arabia will signal a calming of tensions across the Middle East after years of hostilities that have brought the region close to a full-scale conflict.
Baghdad hosted talks between officials from its two neighbours and mutual adversaries on April 9 in the only round of talks to have been previously reported.