AFP – 13 Oct 2014 – Iran must withdraw its “occupying” forces from Syria to help resolve that country’s conflict, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said Monday after talks with his German counterpart.
“Our reservations are about Iran’s policy in the region, not about Iran as a country or people,” Prince Saud said at a joint news conference in the Red Sea city of Jeddah with Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
“In many conflicts, Iran is part of the problem, not the solution,” Prince Saud said, charging that Shiite-dominated Iran had forces in Syria “fighting Syrians”.
“In this case, we can say that Iranian forces in Syria are occupying forces,” aiding President Bashar al-Assad, whom he described as an “illegitimate” leader.
Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-ruled Gulf states support rebel groups which have been battling Assad since March 2011 in a war which has killed more than 180،000 people.
Assad is also backed by Lebanese pro-Iranian Shiite group Hezbollah.
“If Iran wants to be part of the solution in Syria, it has to pull its forces from Syria. The same applies elsewhere, whether in Yemen or Iraq,” the Saudi minister said.
“If it wants to be part of the solution, welcome. But if it continues to be part of the problem, it cannot play any role in the region.”
Iran is accused of backing Shiite rebels in Yemen who overran the capital Sanaa on September 21.