Qatar: Iran nuke deal is step for stability in region

Saudi Arabia maintains official silence on Geneva deal, while smaller Gulf states welcome it

By AP 25 November 2013, 1:29 pm
US President Barack Obama, with Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar, following their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 23, 2013. (photo credit: AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

DOHA, Qatar — Qatar is the latest Gulf Arab state to welcome the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, calling it a step toward greater stability in the region.

The Gulf’s main political power, Saudi Arabia, has previously expressed unease about US outreach to Iran. The dialogue helped pushed along efforts by Washington and others to strike a deal with Iran seeking to ease Western concerns that Tehran could move toward nuclear weapons.

Saudi officials have withheld public comment on the first-step deal signed on Sunday in Geneva, but smaller Gulf partners have backed the accord.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the deal is an “important step toward safeguarding peace and stability in the region.”

Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have issued similar statements.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press

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