From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Germany says West needs Saudi Arabia as partner
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleGermany’s vice chancellor says the West needs Saudi Arabia as a partner in solving conflicts in Syria and elsewhere, but criticizes Saudi financing of ultraconservative mosques abroad.
Germany’s intelligence agency last week published a report suggesting that Saudi Arabia’s ambitious defense minister could endanger the kingdom’s ties with regional allies, an assessment the government distanced itself from.
Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel is quoted Sunday as telling the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that “it doesn’t help to pillory the country every day, because that won’t exactly increase its readiness for serious negotiations in Syria.”
However, Gabriel adds “we must also make clear to the Saudis that the time for looking away is over.” He cites Saudi financing worldwide for mosques embracing the country’s strict Wahhabi brand of Sunni Islam.
— AP
The Times of Israel Community.