Riyadh: Saudi Arabia and Britain have reiterated their determination to play a positive role in solving the crises facing some countries in the region.
"We held extensive talks on ways to solve the problems facing some states in the region. Our discussions mainly focused on the situations in Yemen, Bahrain and Syria in addition to Iran," said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal.
He was speaking in a joint press conference with his British counterpart William Hague in Jeddah on Tuesday evening.
Troops to Bahrain
Prince Saud justified sending troops to Bahrain to enhance the neighbour's security. He also reaffirmed that Saudi forces would be withdrawn from Bahrain once peace is restored.
He noted that the presence of Saudi forces in Bahrain was to preserve peace, as well as to support the people of the neighbouring country.
"There is no foreign intervention involved in the act. We sent troops to Bahrain in response to a request from Bahrain for deploying the common GCC force -Peninsula Shield Force. Our force would withdraw once the mission is accomplished," he said.
Security and stability in Bahrain
Prince Saud noted that the talks with Hague focused on maintaining security and stability in Bahrain.
"Both countries welcomed the Bahrain government's initiative to start national dialogue and set up a national committee to investigate the incidents that took place in the country," he said, while asserting that any outside intereference in the internal affairs of the country and any attempt to disrupt the peace and security of any GCC country were not acceptable.
GCC initiative to restore normalcy in Yemen
Prince Saud also referred to the GCC initiative to restore normalcy in Yemen and prevent it from falling into civil war. He thanked the British government for its keenness in solving the Yemeni crisis.
"The Kingdom and the UK were looking forward to a positive response by the concerned parties in Yemen in reaching a peaceful solution to the crisis," he said.
Saleh in good health
The Saudi minister disclosed that Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is recovering from an assassination attempt in a Riyadh hospital, is in good health and is expected to meet the media soon.
Talking Iran
Reacting to the contradictory statements from Iran about Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud said that there is no problem in having contradictions in policies.
"But one point, I would like to mention is that there had been series of talks with Iran in the past. It was also scheduled for a visit of Iran's foreign minister to the Kingdom to discuss and solve outstanding problems and restore relations to the normal level. But unfortunately, it did not work due to Tehran's some conditions that we did not agree with," he explained.
Prince Saud also noted that the new Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi recently called him, while he was in Pakistan and requested a tripartite meeting that should take place in Kuwait.
"I asked him why he would choose Kuwait in the context of a bilateral dialogue when we are supposed to meet in Saudi Arabia," he said while warning that Iran should take into account of the interests of other countries in the neighbourhood rather than its own interests if it wants to play a leading role in the region.
Talking Syria
In an indirect reference to the ongoing turmoil in Syria, Prince Saud expressed sadness that innocent women and children were falling victims to the current crises in the region. He called on all parties to deal with sensitive issues rationally to prevent more bloodshed.
Talking Bin Laden
Replying to a question about whether the Kingdom would give safe haven to the family of Osama Bin Laden, which is currently in Pakistan, he said that the Bin Laden family is a big family not limited to Osama and are living with dignity in their country.
"The wicked is wicked," he added while referring to Osama who was killed in Pakistan.
On his part, Hague said that the bilateral talks focused on major developments in the region, especially those in Yemen, Bahrain, Iran, Syria and Egypt, as well as the peace process in the Middle East.
