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Rouhani in Oman, Kuwait to Ease Tension | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani walks on the red carpet with Oman’s Sultan Qaboos during a welcoming ceremony in Muscat, Oman on 15 February, 2017 (Reuters)


London- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the short trip that brought him to each of Muscat and Kuwait on Wednesday came in the framework of Tehran’s attempt to resolve “misunderstanding” with Gulf states after tension lately escalated between the two sides regarding regional issues.

Rouhani arrived on Wednesday in Oman before a trip to Kuwait on the invitation of its ruler, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, on his first visit to the Gulf states since taking power in 2013.

On the first leg in Oman, Rouhani met with Sultan Qaboos. The two men discussed the strong relations binding the two countries, aspects of the existing bilateral cooperation between the Sultanate and Iran and means of promoting it in various fields that serve the common interests of both the Omani and Iranian friendly peoples, Omani State News Agency (ONA) said.

Since 2015, Iran had praised at several occasions the mediation role of Oman on thorny regional issues, such as the Iranian nuclear file.

Oman had helped to mediate U.S.-Iran talks that led to a historic nuclear deal signed in Geneva in 2015.

In his second stop in Kuwait, Rouhani met on Wednesday evening with the ruling emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah.

Iran’s news agency IRNA said that Rouhani and the Emir of Kuwait underlined the need for bilateral cooperation and coordination to establish security and stability in the region and help promote development of regional states.

The one-day visit of Rouhani to both countries came as Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei rejected a “national reconciliation” plan brought up by former President Mohammad Khatami and later supported by Rouhani.

Speaking on Wednesday, Khamenei said: “Some people talk about national reconciliation, however, that does not make sense to me. People do not reconcile with those supporting seditions.”

The national reconciliation plan stipulates freeing opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi from their house arrests in an attempt to forge national unity.