US secretary of state John Kerry reassured Saudi Arabia on Sunday of the “solid relationship” between both countries, even after the lifting of sanctions on the kingdom’s regional rival Iran.
US secretary of state John Kerry reassured Saudi Arabia on Sunday of the “solid relationship” between both countries, even after the lifting of sanctions on the kingdom’s regional rival Iran.
“We have as solid a relationship, as clear an alliance, and as strong a friendship with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia as we’ve ever had,” Mr Kerry said before departing Riyadh for Laos at the end of a 24-hour visit. “Nothing has changed because we worked to eliminate a nuclear weapon with a country in the region,” he added. “We will continue to work in the region with our friends and our allies.”
Mr Kerry has long sought to calm concerns among Washington’s Gulf allies about the overtures to Iran, the world’s leading Shia power whose relations with Sunni rival Saudi Arabia have worsened this month. Saudi Arabia and some of its allies cut diplomatic ties with Iran after protesters there burned Riyadh’s embassy in Tehran and a consulate in Mashhad city.
The violence broke out after the kingdom executed Saudi Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a driving force behind anti-government protests, as part of a group of 47 mostly Sunni Saudis sentenced to death for “terrorism”. The kingdom and its Gulf neighbours perceive a lack of support from their traditional ally Washington, particularly in the face of what they see as Iran’s “interference” in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere.
The historic deal with Tehran — backed by the United States and five other major powers — led this month to the lifting of crippling economic sanctions on Iran in return for a scaling back of its nuclear capabilities. Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters Saturday that he did not see a “coming together” of the United States and Iran.
“Iran remains the world’s chief sponsor of terrorism,” Mr Jubeir said. “Overall I think the United States is very aware of the danger of Iran’s mischief and nefarious activities... I don’t believe the United States is under any illusion as to what type of government Iran is.”
Meanwhile, Mr Kerry began a visit to Asia on Sunday in which he plans to press China to put more curbs on North Korea after its nuclear test and to urge Southeast Asia to show unity in response to Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea.
Mr Kerry started what will be a three-day stay in the region in Laos, the 2016 chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). He will head to Cambodia on Monday night and then on to Beijing for talks on Wednesday with the leadership there.
In Beijing, Mr Kerry is expected to stress the need for a united front in response to this month’s North Korean nuclear test through additional UN sanctions, a senior official of the US state department said.
“It is very important to present a united front ... but that united front has to be a firm one, not a flaccid one,” the official told journalists travelling with Mr Kerry.
