Saudi Interior Minister Nayef Ben Adel Aziz met in Tehran Tuesday night with exiled-Iraqi Shiite opposition leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim, Iraqi opposition sources told AFP.
The meeting between Nayef and Hakim, the Iranian-based chief of The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, lasted for 90 minutes and focused on arms sales and political and parliamentary relations in the Middle East, the source told AFP Wednesday.
No other information was available on the meeting.
The session followed the signing of a milestone security accord between Saudi Arabia and Tehran, which will coordinate the two Islamic powers' efforts at combating drug smuggling and political violence in the Gulf area.
Hakim, who has lived in Iran for 20 years, had accepted for the first time a direct dialogue on April 3 with the United States in the name of toppling the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, said the agency.
Traditionally, Hakim had opposed US-led intervention in Iraq and Washington's backing of the Iraqi National Congress, a mosaic of opposition groups.
Meanwhile, the Saudi minister and his Iranian counterpart, Abdulvahed Moussav Lari issued a joint communiqué, declaring that “the solution of regional issues is the common responsibility of countries in the region, with Iran and Saudi Arabia being the foremost.”
The two sides underscored each other's significant status in the region and stressed the need for expansion of regional cooperation to further consolidate peace and stability, said the communiqué, cited by Iran’s official news agency (IRNA).
Both ministers “condemned the suppressive policies of Israel and voiced firm support for the rightful cause of the Palestinians and the Intifada.”
While sympathizing with the Iraqi people and terming the current situation in Iraq as unacceptable, both ministers underlined the need for changes based on international norms in a way to safeguard the Iraqi people against the sanctions imposed on them, said IRNA.
The communiqué also underlined the need for preserving the territorial integrity of Iraq and non-interference in determining the destiny of its people – Albawaba.com
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