RIYADH - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal has voiced concern at purported Iranian military, financial and political meddling in Iraq's affairs, the official SPA news agency reported Friday.
"Iraqis are complaining of interference by Iran. If there is indeed such interference, especially in provinces neighbouring Iran (in the south of the country), that would be quite serious," he was quoted as telling reporters in Washington late Thursday.
The alleged interference "includes the entry of people, money and weapons as well as meddling in political life," Saud said.
His remarks reflected Riyadh's concern that Shiite Iran could increase its influence in Iraq, where it already enjoys sympathy among the now-ruling majority Shiite community at a time when the once-dominant Iraqi Sunnis feel marginalized.
Saud warned that Iraq's potential division into a Kurdish state in the north, a Sunni state in the center and a Shiite state in the south would "bring other countries in the region into the conflict."
"There is no dynamic now pulling the nation together," he said. "All the dynamics are pulling the country apart."
Prince Saud also expressed the hope that Iran was not pursuing nuclear weapons, though he came out against referring Tehran's nuclear file to the UN Security Council.
The European Union, fearful that Iran's atomic fuel work could be diverted to make nuclear weapons, failed this week to win a consensus among International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) member states for its bid to refer Tehran to the Security Council after meeting tough opposition from Russia.
Saudi Arabia prefers "dialogue" and Iran "accepts give and take," Saud said, adding he hoped "Iran does not seek to acquire nuclear weapons."
Decisions pertaining to weapons of mass destruction cannot be taken individually and should take into account the interests of other countries, he said.
"The policy on which we have always agreed is that the Gulf and the Middle East should be free of mass destruction weapons," Saud said.
Saud described relations with Syria as "very good," saying Riyadh was in constant contact with Damascus over issues of interest to the two countries and the Arab world at large.
Syria has been under mounting US pressure for allegedly not doing enough to prevent militants from crossing into Iraq to join the anti-US insurgency there.
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