Gulf states seek leeway amid US-Iran tug of war
Updated: 2008-01-13 20:43
After the recent confrontation incident involving three US Navy warships and five Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz, the Saudi foreign minister called for restraint.
"We face a constant danger of escalation, so self-restraint is necessary" for all in the region which is very sensitive, especially for the world economy, he said.
The Sunni Arab allies of the United States, in the meantime, remain wary of the influence of their Shiite-dominated neighbor.
The eight-year Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s affected relations between the Sunny Arab states and the Shiite Islamic republic. Until today, feuding is still played out in the sectarian bloodshed between the Shiite and Sunni Muslim communities in Iraq.
In comments on US policy toward Iran, Imad Harb of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research said the Gulf states welcome the visit by President Bush, but he "must be ready to listen to Arab complaints about how his Iraqi adventure has inadvertently strengthened Iran's hand in Baghdad and weakened the Arab front against potential Iranian expansion."
Even at their summit in December, the Gulf Arabs maintained caution after the Iranian president made a series of proposals ranging from opening borders with the GCC to protecting the regional environment.
The group responded in a brief statement, saying it "would study those proposals in a bid to boost good neighborliness and reciprocal respect."
It has long pressed Tehran to make positive responses to resolve a dispute with the UAE over the three islands of Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz.
The GCC members have grave concerns over both Israel's nuclear power and Iran's nuclear program, calling for the region to be nuclear free.
The alliance urges Iran to stick to the peaceful nature of its nuclear program and tackle the issue logically with Western countries and Gulf Arab states to avoid tensions that might spill over to devastate the oil-rich region.
The situation is complex where the Gulf states need both Washington and Tehran: the US deterrent power, but not war, to contain Iran's influence; a channel with Iran for talks to prevent any dangerous confrontation.
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