Posted on 06/11/2005 11:26:01 PM PDT by nickcarraway
JEDDAH, 12 June 2005 — Saudi Arabia said yesterday it was seeking effective cooperation from all countries to combat terrorism.
“We look forward to greater cooperation in this matter,” Interior Minister Prince Naif told reporters in Riyadh after talks with Dr. Hassan Rouhani, secretary-general of Iran’s National Security Council.
“Saudi Arabia is ready to cooperate with all countries in the region, including the Gulf, Arab and Islamic states as well as other friendly nations in order to combat terrorism effectively,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the prince as saying.
Prince Naif said his talks with Rouhani had focused on the security situation in Iraq as the two countries are neighbors of the war-torn Arab nation. “We have discussed security aspects of the Iraqi situation in detail,” he added.
Prince Naif said he had discussed with Rouhani all matters related to security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. “Our meeting once again proved that our two countries have identical views on all matters,” he added.
Top officials including Prince Muhammad ibn Naif, assistant interior minister for security affairs, Dr. Muhammad Al-Salim, undersecretary at the Interior Ministry, Gen. Mahmoud Bakhsh, director of general intelligence, and Lt. Gen. Saeed Al-Qahtani, director general of public security, attended the talks.
Earlier speaking to reporters after receiving Rouhani at King Khaled International Airport, Prince Naif highlighted the strong relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Prince Naif denied a report carried by an Iranian daily newspaper about alleged detention and torture of Christian expatriates in a Saudi jail.
“These are internal matters and we will not allow anyone to meddle with them and all that is reported is not correct,” the prince told reporters in Riyadh.
Rouhani said he was visiting the Kingdom at the invitation of Prince Naif. “I take this as an opportunity to discuss important common issues as well as regional developments,” he said.
Asked about American intelligence reports on the presence in Iran of Ahmed Al-Maghsal — an official suspected of involvement in the Alkhobar blasts, Rouhani said: “American intelligence was very weak even on matters inside the United States, let alone the correctness of this information in Iran.”
Rouhani denied that Saad Bin Laden, Suleiman Abu Ghaith and Saif Al-Adel were present in Iran.
“We don’t know anything about them and I don’t know from where you got these names,” he said when a reporter asked about their possible trial in Iran within months.
Rabid fox in the hen house. Methinks they want inside info to protect their home grown terr perps when abroad.
"Prince Naif denied a report carried by an Iranian daily newspaper about alleged detention and torture of Christian expatriates in a Saudi jail.
“These are internal matters and we will not allow anyone to meddle with them and all that is reported is not correct,” the prince told reporters in Riyadh."
Not the most stringent denial I've ever seen...
That says it all. Bush should have toppled the Saudis before he took on Iraq.
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