Israel is a potential ally: Saudi crown prince

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has stated that the Kingdom and Iran are neighbors who cannot get rid of each other, and therefore coexistence is the solution.

“We’re neighbors. Neighbors forever. We cannot get rid of them, and they can’t get rid of us. So it’s better for both of us to work it out and to look for ways in which we can coexist,” the Crown Prince told The Atlantic magazine in a wide-ranging interview published on Thursday (Mar. 3).

Highlighting the four rounds of negotiations between the two countries, the crown prince said the statements heard from Iranian leaders were welcomed in Saudi Arabia.

He added that the Kingdom will “continue through the details of the negotiations” and voiced hope that a position that is good for both countries and which paves the way to a brighter future for both is reached.

Asked about Iran’s nuclear program and whether he is in favor of reaching a nuclear deal with it, the crown prince said that any country’s possession of a nuclear bomb is “dangerous.”

“I believe any country around the world that has a nuclear bomb, that’s dangerous, regardless if it’s Iran or any other country. So, we don’t want to see that. And also, we don’t want to see a weak nuclear deal, because that’s going to end up with the same conclusion.”

Commenting on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and on whether the Kingdom would establish diplomatic relations with Israel, the crown prince said Saudi Arabia views Israel as a “potential ally,” noting however that several matters need to be resolved first.

“For us, we hope that the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is solved. We don’t look at Israel as an enemy, we look to them as a potential ally, with many interests that we can pursue together. But we have to solve some issues before we get to that.”

Source: Saudi Gazette

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