German minister urges Riyadh, Tehran to focus on opposing ISIS

ben adhoc

January 5, 2016 11:10 AM

Steinmeier urged both countries to show responsibility and focus on calming the region and opposing the radical Islamist movement he referred to by the acronym ISIS.

German minister urges Riyadh, Tehran to focus on opposing ISIS

Saudi Arabia and Iran owe it to the international community to put aside their differences in the Middle East and focus on opposing Islamic State, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told newspaper Bild.

Saudi Arabia cut its ties with Iran on Sunday in response to the storming of its embassy in Tehran in an escalating row between the rival Middle East powers over Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric.

"I hope that the turbulence will soon end, reason prevails and Riyadh and Tehran focus on what's really important - defusing the military conflicts, fostering political solutions in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere and thus pulling the rug out from under ISIS," he told Bild in an interview published on Tuesday.

"The whole Middle East, and especially Saudi Arabia and Iran, are somewhat indebted to us," he said. "The international community has worked extensively for years to bring peace to the interrelated conflicts in the region."

"Now we need responsible actors in the region who act responsibly, in Riyadh as well as in Tehran," he said.

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