Saudi FM says his visit to Russia was positive

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal has described talks he held with Russian Minister of the Interior Sergey Stepashin on Wednesday in Moscow as important and held in a friendly, frank and practical atmosphere.

In a statement to the Saudi daily al-Riyadh issued on Thursday, the Saudi FM added that talks with Stepashin were "positive and constructive that will make us look forward for the forthcoming visit of the Russian minister of the interior to Saudi Arabia where he will confer with his Saudi counterpart Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz."

In a similar statement to the Saudi daily, the Russian minister of the interior said he will visit Saudi Arabia during the current month and will sign with his Saudi counterpart an agreement of understanding between the ministries of the interior in the two countries to cooperate in the areas of fighting crime and terrorism.

Meanwhile, the Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Muhammad Rida Nouri, said that the busy schedule of Iranian President Muhammad Khatami and his internal obligations led to the postponement of the Iranian president's visit that he was to pay to Saudi Arabia during al-Haj season for this year.

The Iranian ambassador added that preparations are currently underway to set another date for the visit of the Iranian president to Saudi Arabia on top of a large delegation.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov will soon hold an official visit to Tehran with the objective of strengthening relations between Russia and Iran.