Saudi's visit to Iran boosts hope of thaw
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 7/3/1997

An envoy of King Fahd arrived in Tehran on July 1 on a rare visit by a Saudi Arabian official to the Iranian capital in what appeared to be part of new efforts to improve ties between the two Islamic titans.

The official Islamic Republic news agency said that minister of state Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah al-Khoweiter delivered messages from crown Prince Abdullah to president Ali Akbar Hashimi Rafsinjani, who is due to hand over his post to president-elect Mohamad Khatami in early August.

Khoweiter told Rafsinjani that Saudi Arabia would send the highest level delegation to the upcoming summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in December, the agency said.

Rafsanjani called for increasing bilateral ties to counter Israeli and US moves and said that would help stop "the conspiracy of the enemy and contribute to peace and stability in the sensitive Gulf region. Diplomats in Riyadh said that Khoweiter's visit was a fresh sign that relations between the two regional powerhouses, whose cooperation is seen as vital for stability in a region that sits on more than two-thirds of the world's oil reserves, are thawing after years of friction as they vied for leadership of the Islamic world.

Ties have often been tense since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, mainly over the presence of Western forces in the Gulf, Tehran's rearmament program, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and accusations that Iran meddles in its neighbors¹ affairs.

Iran, which is overwhelmingly Shiite, denies the charges and its leaders have repeatedly said they want to rebuild trust with their Sunni Arab neighbors.

"Relations are definitely warming up, but they still have a long way to go," one western diplomat commented. "But the Iranians appear to be serious in trying to establish better relations, and the Saudis have indicated they're willing to meet them halfway.²

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states still view the Tehran government with suspicion, the diplomat said. But Iran had to prove to its neighbor, the world's largest oil exporter and Washington's main ally in the Gulf, that it was serious in opening a new chapter in ties, the diplomat said.

"Iran will have to work hard at allaying these worries and that doesn't happen overnight," the diplomat said.

The United States has accused Iran of sponsoring state "terrorism" and expressed concern about what it describes as Iran's growing military capabilities, its alleged quest for nuclear weapons and its intentions in the region.

Iran, which denies the terrorism charges, opposes the US military presence in the Gulf and says Washington falsely accuses Tehran of threatening regional security to scare its Gulf Arab allies into buying more American weapons.

The diplomats said another thorny issue is whether Iran was involved in a bombing that killed 19 US airmen in Dharan on June 25,1996. Saudi officials have refused to confirm US media reports of an Iranian link. Iran's media, which denies involvement in the attack, has praised Riyadh for not implicating Iran.

One diplomat said the fact that Saudi Arabia and Iran set aside their political rivalries at last week's Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in Vienna was "interesting."

They joined forces to put pressure on those others among the 11 members who are alleged to be violating OPEC-imposed production quotas, designed to push up sagging oil prices.

Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states will be watching for any moves forwards better ties after Khatami, who has urged better relations, takes office in August.

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