Monday, October 02, 2006
Condoleezza Rice to ask for Saudi help with Iraq
Region, Security
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday she plans to ask Saudi Arabia to do more to help stabilize Iraq by encouraging it to influence Iraqi Sunnis to become more involved in the political process. Speaking as she flew to the Middle East, Rice said she planned during her trip to talk to U.S. allies in the region about how they can assist the Iraqi and Lebanese governments as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Rice's trip to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories is her first journey to the region since a July visit at height of the war between Israel and Hizbollah militants in Lebanon. During the trip, she plans to have a group meeting with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and the six Gulf Cooperation Council states -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
Saudi Arabia considers itself the bastion of mainstream Sunni Islam. But its support for Sunni tribes in Iraq is tempered by concern that Saudi Islamists who have gone to fight alongside insurgents could return to fight in Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia has a lot of standing with a number of the forces in Iraq and they have actually been very helpful in trying to get Sunnis involved in the election," Rice said. "So I think it would be very helpful if they were supportive of, and working toward, helping Prime Minister (Nuri) al-Maliki's national reconciliation plan. They have a lot of contacts among the tribes" she added.
Saudi officials have expressed fears that sectarian violence in Iraq between Sunni groups and the Shi'ite-dominated government could spill over Iraq's borders into neighboring countries or lead to the break-up of the country.
Saudi officials have expressed fears that sectarian violence in Iraq between Sunni groups and the Shi'ite-dominated government could spill over Iraq's borders into neighboring countries or lead to the break-up of the country.
