Bahrain hails, but Iran condemns Oman’s wisdom

Asurprise meeting by Oman’s Sultan Qaboos with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday in Muscat was hailed as a wise and farsighted move by Bahrain, but was condemned as unwise by Iran.

“We have never ever questioned the wisdom and farsightedness of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos in trying to help and do their part in trying to reach a solution for this [Palestinian-Israeli] issue,” Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa said at the Manama Dialogue. “We look forward to Sultan Qaboos succeeding in his effort,” Shaikh Khalid said.

However, in Tehran, Iran condemned Netanyahu’s visit, saying that it was seeking “to sow discord among Muslim countries” in the region.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir, speaking at the conference, said that his country had no relations with Israel. “We believe that the key to normalising relations with Israel is the peace process, [and] the peace initiative adopted by the Beirut Summit in 2002…,” he said. “This remains our position today.”