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Mauritanian FM Calls Iran to Respect Neighbors’ Rights | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Saudi Arabian troops cross the causeway leading to Bahrain in this still image taken from video March 14, 2011. REUTERS/Bahrain state TV via Reuters TV


Nouakchott-Mauritanian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Isselkou Ould Ahmed Izid Bih expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the 27th Arab League Summit held in Nouakchott.

“The Nouakchott Summit has agreed to take serious steps with regards to the Arab world’s future, and given that Mauritania is in good terms with all Arab countries, tackling current issues objectively won’t be difficult. We expect to see cooperation and coordination from the Arab world in order to move to a better stage,” replied Izid Bih to a question on the phase in the aftermath of the Arab summit.

“What do you mean when you talk about introducing a new phase of joint Arab cooperation?” asked Asharq Al-Awsat.

“We should deal with current events according to a new vision, especially the regional and international changes. Let’s take the European countries as an example. They always adopt unified approaches in a way that serves their goals and interests,” replied the minister.

“Will the summit presidency launch initiatives to take action with the secretary general of Arab League?” asked the newspaper.

“Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has a wide experience in mediation in some African cases in Ivory Coast when he was appointed the head of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union,” replied the minister.

“Efforts exerted by the president have proven that Mauritania enjoys a successful experience in combating terrorism and seeking regional and international peace and security. We will depend on this experience to serve the Arab countries’ interest, future, identity, culture and role,” added Izid Bih.

“U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura submitted a report to the Arab foreign ministers in regards to Syria. How do you evaluate this?” asked Asharq Al-Awsat.

“This step admits the Arab world role in resolving the Syrian crisis. Finding a solution to the crisis is the desire of all countries as this will allay international tension, stop Syrian bleeding and put an end to the spread of terrorism.

“Both Russia and the U.S. are in favor of solving the crisis; the continuity of clashes is a source of damage to all Arab, regional and international countries,” replied the minister.

Speaking on regional interferences, Asharq Al-Awsat asked the minister about his vision over the Iranian threats and his answer was: “Iran needs to adopt the good neighborhood policy with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and UAE along with the rest of Arab World. We bet that Arabs are fully aware that solving problems in a peaceful way and through dialogue is for the countries’ own good.”

Asharq Al-Awsat questioned: “Are you satisfied with the diplomatic representation in the summit?” Izid Bih’s answer was positive since “all the Arab countries participated in the summit.”

When asked about the priorities following the summit, the minister said that restoring the effective role of the Arab League is on top of the list.

“The Arab League shall be able to reflect the Arab world diversity, culture, history, civilization and essential role in maintaining peace and security in the region,” added the FM.

Regarding the last visit of Mauritania’s President to Saudi Arabia, “Are there new visions looming in the horizon on the level of bilateral relation?” asked the newspaper.

The minister replied: “The cooperation with Saudi Arabia is constant and developed in the era of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; Mauritanian-Saudi relations are old, strategic and coherent.”