Simonnet to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Understand Gulf States’ Concerns Regarding Iran Activities

The EU’s envoy to Saudi Arabia, Patrick Simonnet (Photo Credit: Ali Al-Dahiri)
The EU’s envoy to Saudi Arabia, Patrick Simonnet (Photo Credit: Ali Al-Dahiri)
TT
20

Simonnet to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Understand Gulf States’ Concerns Regarding Iran Activities

The EU’s envoy to Saudi Arabia, Patrick Simonnet (Photo Credit: Ali Al-Dahiri)
The EU’s envoy to Saudi Arabia, Patrick Simonnet (Photo Credit: Ali Al-Dahiri)

The EU’s envoy to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday conveyed the bloc’s understanding of the concern Gulf States have towards Iranian activity in the region, clarifying that the situation today differs from what it was back in 2015 and holds many issues that need resolution.

“We understand the concerns and reservations of the Gulf states regarding Iranian activities in the region,” Patrick Simonnet told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“We are trying to achieve stability, peace, and security in the region,” he pointed out.

Simonnet said Iran needs to comply and implement the 2015 nuclear deal fully.

“As you know, the EU is coordinating the Vienna talks on the JCPOA agreement with Iran. We need the United States to return the agreement and to ensure that Iran fully implements it,” he said.

As for the Kingdom’s national plan for transformation, dubbed Vision 2030, Simonnet affirmed that the EU follows Saudi social and economic reforms with great admiration.

“What makes us enthusiastic about relations with Saudi Arabia is the social, economic, and political reforms that have been achieved during the past five years,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He noted that the reform agenda undertaken by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is “progressive, comprehensive and highly effective.”

“We also support all initiatives,” said Simonnet.

It is noteworthy that Simonnet pointed out that the EU was the no.1 provider of foreign direct investments to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GGC) and the second-largest trading partner in the region after China.

The EU diplomat also pointed out the Kingdom’s leading role in the war against terrorism.

“We support the efforts of Saudi Arabia because it is the backbone of the war against terrorism,” he said, adding that the EU backs all of the Kingdom’s efforts on promoting and presenting a new vision of moderate Islam in the region.

“This is very important for us in Europe, and we have a common interest in the field of counter-terrorism and cyber security,” said Simonnet.



Hochstein to Asharq Al-Awsat: Land Border Demarcation between Lebanon, Israel ‘is Within Reach’

AFP file photo of Amos Hochstein speaking to reporters at the Grand Serail in Beirut, Lebanon
AFP file photo of Amos Hochstein speaking to reporters at the Grand Serail in Beirut, Lebanon
TT
20

Hochstein to Asharq Al-Awsat: Land Border Demarcation between Lebanon, Israel ‘is Within Reach’

AFP file photo of Amos Hochstein speaking to reporters at the Grand Serail in Beirut, Lebanon
AFP file photo of Amos Hochstein speaking to reporters at the Grand Serail in Beirut, Lebanon

The former US special envoy, Amos Hochstein, said the maritime border agreement struck between Lebanon and Israel in 2022 and the ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hezbollah at the end of last year show that a land border demarcation “is within reach.”

“We can get to a deal but there has to be political willingness,” he said.

“The agreement of the maritime boundary was unique because we’d been trying to work on it for over 10 years,” Hochstein told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“I understood that a simple diplomatic push for a line was not going to work. It had to be a more complicated and comprehensive agreement. And there was a real threat that people didn’t realize that if we didn’t reach an agreement we would have ended up in a conflict - in a hot conflict - or war over resources.”

He said there is a possibility to reach a Lebanese-Israeli land border agreement because there’s a “provision that mandated the beginning of talks on the land boundary.”

“I believe with concerted effort they can be done quickly,” he said, adding: “It is within reach.”

Hochstein described communication with Hezbollah as “complicated,” saying “I never had only one interlocutor with Hezbollah .... and the first step is to do shuttle diplomacy between Lebanon, Lebanon and Lebanon, and then you had to go to Israel and do shuttle diplomacy between the different factions” there.

“The reality of today and the reality of 2022 are different. Hezbollah had a lock on the political system in Lebanon in the way it doesn’t today.”

North of Litani

The 2024 ceasefire agreement requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanon and for the Lebanese army to take full operational control of the south Litani region, all the way up to the border. It requires Hezbollah to demilitarize and move further north of the Litani region, he said.

“I don’t want to get into the details of other violations,” he said, but stated that the ceasefire works if both conditions are met.

Lebanon’s opportunity

“Lebanon can rewrite its future ... but it has to be a fundamental change,” he said.

“There is so much potential in Lebanon and if you can bring back opportunity and jobs - and through economic and legal reforms in the country - I think that the future is very bright,” Hochstein told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Hezbollah is not trying to control the politics and remember that Hezbollah is just an arm of Iran” which “should not be imposing its political will in Lebanon, Israel should not be imposing its military will in Lebanon, Syria should not. No one should. This a moment for Lebanon to make decisions for itself,” he added.