Trump presidency cause for optimism, says Saudi FM

MUNICH: Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir described US President Donald Trump as another Ronald Reagan in the making.
Delivering a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, he said: “When Reagan was elected in 1981, there was a lot of concern in Europe. People thought World War III would take place. Reagan reasserted America’s place in the world. He made comprehensive arms control agreements with the Soviet Union, he pushed back against the Soviet Union and he ended the Cold War.”
Expressing optimism about the Trump administration, he said: “One of the biggest factors that will help to resolve many of the challenges (in the Middle East) is the new American administration.”
Al-Jubeir said Trump’s goals and priorities match with those of the Arabian Gulf.
“Trump believes in destroying Daesh. So do we. He believes in containing Iran. So do we. He believes in working with traditional allies,” he said.
Praising the Trump Cabinet, Al-Jubeir said: “When we look at the composition of the Cabinet and the personalities that he appointed — secretary of defense, secretary of state, secretary of homeland security, director of the FBI, secretary of commerce, secretary of treasury — these are very experienced, highly skilled, highly capable individuals who share that world-view. So we look forward to working with this administration very, very closely,” said Al-Jubeir.
The Saudi minister rejected Iranian calls for dialogue saying Tehran was the main sponsor of terrorism in the world, a destabilizing force in the Middle East and wanted to “destroy us.”
He said: “Iran remains the single main sponsor of terrorism in the world.”
“It’s determined to upend the order in Middle East … (and) until and unless Iran changes its behavior it would be very difficult to deal with a country like this,” said the foreign minister.
Al-Jubeir said Iran was propping up the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, funding the Houthi separatists in Yemen and violent groups across the region. He said the international community needed to set clear “red lines” to halt Iran’s actions.
The six Arab members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), especially Saudi Arabia, accuse Iran of using sectarianism to interfere in Arab countries and build its own sphere of influence in the Middle East. Iran denies the accusations.
The international community needed to set clear “red lines” to halt Iran’s actions, he said, calling for banking, travel and trade restrictions aimed at changing Tehran’s behavior.
He sidestepped a question about Israel’s call for concerted action with Arab states amid growing speculation that the two countries could normalize relations and join forces to oppose Tehran.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also criticized what he called an Iranian “sectarian policy” aimed at undermining Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
“Turkey is very much against any kind of division, religious or sectarian,” he said.
Zarif opened Sunday’s session with the call for dialogue to address “anxieties” in the region. This followed a visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Oman and Kuwait last week to try to improve ties, his first visit to the Gulf states since taking power in 2013.
Asked if Iran’s envisioned regional dialogue could include Israel, Zarif said Tehran was looking at a more “modest” approach.
“I’m focusing on the Persian Gulf. We have enough problems in this region so we want to start a dialogue with countries we call brothers in Islam,” he said.
Zarif dismissed any suggestions his country would ever seek to develop nuclear weapons. When asked about the new US administration’s tough rhetoric on Iran’s role in the region and calls to review the nuclear deal, he said Tehran did not respond well to threats or sanctions.
US Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said he and other senators were preparing legislation to further sanction Iran for violating UN Security Council resolutions with its missile development program and other actions.
“It is now time for the Congress to take Iran on directly in terms of what they’ve done outside the nuclear program,” he said.
Sen. Christopher Murphy, a Democrat and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Washington needed to decide whether to take a broader role in the regional conflict.
“We have to make a decision whether we are going to get involved in the emerging proxy war in a bigger way than we are today, between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” he said.