No Alliance Against Iran - Abdullah

JEDDAH, 28 January 2007 - Saudi Arabia yesterday denied suggestions that it was forging an alliance against Iran.

This is completely untrue and against our policy, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah said referring to Iranian media reports. We dont interfere in the affairs of others, he said.

In an interview with Kuwaits Asseyassa Arabic daily, King Abdullah also emphasized that the campaign to spread Shiism among Sunni Arab countries would not succeed as the majority of Muslims follow the Sunni ideology.

We are following up on this matter and we are aware of the dimensions of spreading Shiism and where it has reached, the king said. We believe this process will not achieve its goal because the majority of Sunni Muslims will never change their belief and are immune to any attempts by other sects to influence them or diminish their historical power.

The Saudi leader expressed optimism about the future of the Arab nation.

There is nothing that prevents us from adopting unanimous decisions and a unified ideology, he said. Unanimous decisions will make us strong globally.

Referring to Shiite-Sunni conflict, the king said he was following the matter with caution. If we handle the situation properly, then there will not be any danger, he said. But if we fail, problems may crop up here and there. We hope it will not happen.

Referring to his recent meeting with Iranian envoy Ali Larijani, King Abdullah said the Kingdoms foreign policy does not help anybody to attack anybody else, neither Iran nor any other country.

The king also stressed that Saudi Arabia would not allow anybody to attack the Kingdom or other Arab countries that have signed security agreements with Riyadh.

Saudi leaders and the Saudi state know their limits in dealing with nations, East and West, said the king. I explained this to Larijani and advised him to pass the message on to his government and its followers. If we want to achieve success in our regional policy, we have to establish comfortable international relations for the Gulf region because the dangers (the Iranian government) could fall into will fall upon all of us.

King Abdullah said he had also advised the Iranians not to endanger the Gulf region through their policies.

Any state that carries out unwise actions should be responsible for its actions before the regions countries, he said in the interview that was also carried by the Saudi Press Agency.

Abdullah called on Arab countries to adopt a unified stance on major issues such as Palestine.

We should not allow other states to interfere in our issues or take the help of others to resolve our Arab issues, he said. We dont want anybody to interfere in our issues in order to become stronger.

Speaking about domestic matters, Abdullah said he was concentrating his attention on improving the governments performance and taking measures to ensure just distribution of wealth all over the country. He also noted his endeavors to scale down bureaucratic procedures.

Abdullah said the Kingdoms efforts to promote moderation among its people have proven fruitful.

He commended the valor displayed by security forces in defeating terrorists by carrying out pre-emptive operations. Nobody is providing cover to terrorists now as our citizens are convinced that this is not the way to invite people to Islam, he said. Terrorism is totally against the teachings of Islam, its not a call to reform but rather a call to destruction and corruption.

He said Saudi Arabia would play a leading role in implementing the resolutions adopted by GCC summits.