Jordan King: Saudi Arabia Draws Red Lines for Iran’s Regional Activities

Jordan's King Abdullah speaks during a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (photo credit: REUTERS/ARND WIEGMANN)

Jordan’s King Abdullah II said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia was assuming a positive role in the Middle East and was drawing “red lines” for Iran’s worrying activities.
 
During a discussion session with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, King Abdullah stressed that King Salman bin Abdulaziz was leading an unprecedented proactive Saudi role in the Middle East.
 
As for Iranian interference in Arab affairs, he said: “The Saudi policy is to say: the red lines are here.”
 
King Abdullah pointed to Tehran’s meddling in a number of Arab countries, warning of its exploitation of militias and its use of religion in regional conflicts.
 
He added that Saudi Arabia was not the only country concerned about Iran’s destabilizing activities, but also all states in the region, “especially after we saw the repercussions of these policies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon.”
 
The Jordanian monarch said he did not believe that Iran would change its foreign policy, which was adopted decades ago.
 
“We believe in Jordan that dialogue is the best way to solve problems, but the policy of Iran poses major challenges in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen,” he noted, emphasizing his concern about the future of Lebanon, which has suffered significantly during the past decades.
 
“We do not want these (Iranian) trends to create new problems inside Lebanon,” he stated.
 
On Jerusalem, the Jordanian monarch said that the Palestinians no longer see the United States as a fair mediator after Washington announced its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to transfer its embassy to it.
 
In this regard, he reiterated his commitment to resolve the issue of Jerusalem within the framework of a comprehensive solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
 
“The hiccup at the moment is, out of tremendous frustration; the Palestinians don’t feel the United States is an honest broker, but in the same time, they are reaching out to the Europeans, and I think, to me, that is a signal that they do want peace,” King Abdullah said.
 
“We cannot have a peace process… without the role of the United States,” he said, adding: “None of us know what the [US] plan is.”
 
King Abdullah underlined the importance of Jerusalem for all religions and its central role among Muslims, Christians and Jews. He pointed out that Jerusalem should be viewed as a “city of hope” that brings people together.