The significance of Rafsanjani’s visit to Saudi Arabia
interview with Iran’s former ambassador to Bahrain
Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Iranian Assembly of Experts and chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council has visited Saudi Arabia recently to attend the Interfaith Dialog Conference. Iranian Diplomacy has discussed different aspects of his visit with Mohammad Farazmand, Middle East expert and Iran’s former ambassador to Bahrain. The answers follow.
The main reason Rafsanjani visited Saudi Arabia was to talk with other Islamic scholars as a senior Shiite cleric, but because of the friendly relations between Rafsanjani and King Abdullah, the two talked on bilateral ties, problems of Iranian pilgrims in holy cities of Mecca and Medina and some important regional issues.
About the relevance of this visit to Doha agreement, I have to say Lebanon’s problem was concluded in Qatar and the result was welcomed by Lebanese groups and Arab countries, so there were no special talks about Lebanon in Rafsanjani’s meeting with King Abdullah. However, we can’t deny that cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia can be extremely helpful to the peace process in Lebanon and to Lebanese’ commitment to the deal in Doha.
On the role Rafsanjani can play in securing Arab countries’ trust towards Iran, let me remind you of the history of warm relations between Hashemi Rafsanjani and King Abdullah. This started from the Islamic Countries Conference Summit in Islamabad, Pakistan in 1995. The meeting there set out a new era of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. It was after this meeting that bilateral ties considerably improved and during Khatami’s presidency a security pact was signed between the two countries.
Another important point is that the Interfaith Dialog Conference has been held in Saudi Arabia, a country which has been under the domination of a radical interpretation of Islam for more than 70 years, based on which there was no room for dialogue with other sects and religions. The conference is an omen for revisions at an official, governmental level about Saudi Arabia’s religious doctrines.
It may seem the religious and cultural aspects of Rafsanjani’s visit to Saudi Arabia have had more significance than its political aspect. However, the talks between Rafsanjani and Saudi officials ware important considering Saudi Arabia’s central role in the region. Saudis have a key role in Lebanon and Palestinian affairs and enjoy close ties with transregional powers. Naturally, as a powerful country in the region Iran has to keep up its ties with Saudi Arabia and try to use this channel to relieve religious and political tensions.
Our country must use all potentials to realize its objectives. Among Islamic and Arab countries, personal relations are one of the powerful tools for achieving success in international diplomacy. Due to his personality and friendship with the Saudi king, Rafsanjani, who is a key figure among Iranian politicians, has a high potential to reunite the two countries, ease tensions and develop understanding between Iran and Arab countries of the region.
The Iranian government can make the best of the new atmosphere fostered by Rafsanjani in his visit, since the advantages of these new conditions belong to the whole country, not a single person. All the governments after the revolution have stressed friendly ties with countries of the region and Ahmadinejhad’s administration is no exception. He intends to develop relations with neighbors and Persian Gulf countries to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding, release tensions and limit interventions of foreign countries in intraregional affairs.
Cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia will facilitate solution of problems in Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. There may be differences between the two countries on regional issues such as Lebanon or Iraq, but these are not unsolvable.