Saudis at the negotiating table
By Nader Habibi | Friday, August 17, 2007 | The Boston Globe
Nader Habibi is the Henry J Leir Chair in Economics of the Middle East at Brandeis University’s Crown Center for Middle East Studies. His position is that including Saudi Arabia in the talks between the US and Iran would counterbalance Iran’s Shi’ite indluence with a powerful Sunni ally. In his words:
“…Saudi participation serves US interests in two important ways. First, Saudi Arabia will be perceived by Iraqi Sunnis as their representative and protector in the negotiations, and they consequently will feel less defensive. This could help reduce the intensity of the Sunni insurgency. The decline in the Sunni insurgency will in turn reduce the Shi’ite violence, which is often a response to Sunni attacks. Second, the US-Saudi relations have been strained in recent months and Saudi suspicions of the negotiations between Iran and the United States could lead to further deterioration of bilateral ties. By including Saudi Arabia, the United States can improve this relationship. Saudi Arabia will then be more supportive of recently renewed US efforts to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace talks….”…BS
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