Muscat (AFP)
March 13, 2014
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sought Thursday to mend fences between his mainly-Shiite country and Sunni-dominated Gulf monarchies distrustful of Iran's nuclear ambitions and its support of the Syrian regime.
Rouhani, winding up a two-day visit to Oman, said the Islamic republic offered "a hand of fraternity to all the countries of the region."
"Relations with one country should not grow at the expense of another. We want to see the countries of the region live in peace, understanding and friendship," Rouhani told a business gathering in Muscat.
The sultanate maintains strong links with Iran and has played an important role as mediator between Western countries and Tehran.
But other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which besides Oman also comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have cool relations with Tehran.
Its Arab neighbors have expressed concern about the reliability of Iran's sole nuclear power plant at Bushehr in the southern Gulf and the risk of radioactive leaks should it be hit by a major earthquake.
Like world powers, they also fear a possible military dimension to Iran's nuclear drive, despite repeated assertions by Tehran that its atomic ambitions are peaceful.
Ties between Gulf countries and Iran have also been strained by Tehran's backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in its battle against rebels supported by the Arab monarchies.
"Cooperation and rapprochement would benefit the whole region," said Rouhani, adding that his country is "open to investors from the region, especially Omanis."
Oman and Iran are seeking to expand trade, which reached $1 billion last year, and bilateral investments which they expect will top $10 billion by the end of this year, Iranian Ambassador Ali Akbar Sibeveih said Monday.
Oil- and gas-rich Iran has been struggling to export its products due to strict US and European sanctions on Tehran over its controversial nuclear program.
Iran and Oman signed a preliminary agreement Wednesday to build a $1 billion, 200-kilometer (125-mile) submarine pipeline to import gas from the Islamic republic...
Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Irans_Rouhani_extends_hand_to_Gulf_monarchies_999.html.
March 13, 2014
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sought Thursday to mend fences between his mainly-Shiite country and Sunni-dominated Gulf monarchies distrustful of Iran's nuclear ambitions and its support of the Syrian regime.
Rouhani, winding up a two-day visit to Oman, said the Islamic republic offered "a hand of fraternity to all the countries of the region."
"Relations with one country should not grow at the expense of another. We want to see the countries of the region live in peace, understanding and friendship," Rouhani told a business gathering in Muscat.
The sultanate maintains strong links with Iran and has played an important role as mediator between Western countries and Tehran.
But other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which besides Oman also comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have cool relations with Tehran.
Its Arab neighbors have expressed concern about the reliability of Iran's sole nuclear power plant at Bushehr in the southern Gulf and the risk of radioactive leaks should it be hit by a major earthquake.
Like world powers, they also fear a possible military dimension to Iran's nuclear drive, despite repeated assertions by Tehran that its atomic ambitions are peaceful.
Ties between Gulf countries and Iran have also been strained by Tehran's backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in its battle against rebels supported by the Arab monarchies.
"Cooperation and rapprochement would benefit the whole region," said Rouhani, adding that his country is "open to investors from the region, especially Omanis."
Oman and Iran are seeking to expand trade, which reached $1 billion last year, and bilateral investments which they expect will top $10 billion by the end of this year, Iranian Ambassador Ali Akbar Sibeveih said Monday.
Oil- and gas-rich Iran has been struggling to export its products due to strict US and European sanctions on Tehran over its controversial nuclear program.
Iran and Oman signed a preliminary agreement Wednesday to build a $1 billion, 200-kilometer (125-mile) submarine pipeline to import gas from the Islamic republic...
Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Irans_Rouhani_extends_hand_to_Gulf_monarchies_999.html.
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