Excerpts: Iran re skeptical Gulf Arabs. Iran economy. Jordan King,Saudi
crown prince discuss ties.Jordan protests Israel airport July 27, 2015

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 27 July ’15:”Iran begins charm offensive among
skeptical Gulf Arabs”

SUBJECT:Iran re skeptical Gulf Arabs

QUOTE:”(Iran)nuclear deal with world powers that raised concerns among Iran’s
Gulf Arab neighbors”

FULL TEXT:KUWAIT — Iran’s foreign minister called on Sunday[26 July] for a
united front among all Middle Eastern nations to fight militancy, in his
first regional trip after reaching a nuclear deal with world powers that
raised concerns among Iran’s Gulf Arab neighbors.



“Any threat to one country is a threat to all... No country can solve
regional problems without the help of others,” Mohammad Javad Zarif said at
a news conference hosted by the Iranian embassy in Kuwait.



Zarif earlier met Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed and his Kuwaiti counterpart,
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, who was not present at the press conference.

Zarif began the one-day, three-country tour by visiting Kuwait. He was due
to go on to Qatar and then Iraq.



Most Gulf Arab states are worried that Iran’s July 14 accord will hasten
detente between Tehran and Washington, emboldening Tehran to increase
backing for Middle Eastern allies at odds with Gulf Arab countries.



“Iran stands behind the people in the region to fight against the threat of
extremism, terrorism and sectarianism... Our message to the regional
countries is that we should fight together against this shared challenge,”
Zarif added.



Most Sunni-ruled Gulf Arab states have long accused Tehran of interference
in Arab affairs, alleging financial or armed support for political movements
in countries including Bahrain, Yemen and Lebanon.



Shiite power Iran denies interference but says the nuclear deal will not
change its policies in the region. Ahead of his Gulf visit, Zarif said in a
statement posted on his ministry’s website late on Friday that Tehran would
continue supporting its allies in Syria and Iraq to fight against Daesh (the
so-called IS) militant group.



Echoing that message in a speech earlier on Sunday[26 July], Iranian
President Hassan Rohani said on a visit to Iran’s Kurdistan Province: “The
Iranian nation supports all oppressed nations.”



“If it wasn’t for Iran, Erbil and Baghdad would have also fallen to the
terrorists (of Daesh) ... Just as we defended Dahuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah
(in Iraqi Kurdistan), if any country in the whole region is a victim of
aggression, the Iranian nation will defend the oppressed,” Rohani added.



Bahrain said on Saturday[25 July]it had foiled an arms smuggling plot by two
Bahrainis with ties to Iran and announced the recall of the Gulf island
kingdom’s ambassador to Tehran for consultations after what it said were
repeated hostile Iranian statements.



Commenting on the allegation, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hassan
Ghashghavi noted Bahrain’s government disagreed with Iran’s “support of
oppressed people in their country”.



“However we will continue doing so and we insist that the oppressed people
of Bahrain need attention,” he said.



Bahrain last week summoned Iran’s acting charge d’affaires, Mortadha
Sanubari, to protest comments made by top Iranian leader, Ali Khamenei.



In a televised speech earlier this month, Khamenei said Iran would continue
to support its regional friends despite its nuclear deal, including “the
oppressed Palestinian nation, Yemen, Syria, Iraq (and) Bahrain.” — Agencies


+++SOURCE:Naharnet(Lebanon)27 July ’15:”Iran Says Foreign Holdings $29bn,not
$100bn Plus”, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Iran economy

QUOTE:Iran has assets of $29bn…far less than reported estimates of over
$100bn plus”

FULL TEXT::Iran has assets of $29 billion in overseas banks that could be
unlocked under a nuclear deal -- far less than reported estimates of over
$100 billion, the country's central bank chief said.

Valiollah Seif told state television late Saturday[25July] that the holdings
comprised $23 billion in foreign exchange belonging to the bank and another
$6 billion of the Tehran government's money.

The remarks from Seif, central bank governor since September 2013, suggest
that under the nuclear deal struck on July 14, Iran stands to regain far
less in fresh funds than has been stated.

Seif said the figure of more than $100 billion included "$35 billion already
allocated for oil projects and $22 billion held on security deposit
guarantee in Chinese banks" for buying goods.

Opponents of the final nuclear deal agreed in Vienna, notably Israel, have
cited figures of $100 billion and more, saying access to such large sums
would allow Iran to boost its support for militant groups across the Middle
East.

Iran has provided billions of dollars of credit and other financial aid to
Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose regime is fighting a four-year old
Arab- and Western-backed uprising.

And Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said unblocked money will
allow Tehran to further its backing for Lebanese group Hezbollah and
Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Tehran has said the money is needed for domestic investment in oil and gas,
petrochemicals and other key industries.

Seif appealed for more foreign interest in Iran's damaged economy. "We can
absorb between $200-$300 billion in foreign investment," he said.


+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 27 July ’15:”King, Saudi deputy crown prince discuss
region,ties”, by JT

SUBJECT:King;Saudi crown prince discuss ties

QUOTE:” Saudi economic sectors are advised to’invest in the Kingdom’ “

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah received on Saturday[25 July] a call from
Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud, Saudi Arabia's deputy crown prince, second
deputy prime minister and minister of defence, to discuss recent
developments in the region.

The two sides highlighted the strong strategic brotherly relations and the
importance of continuing cooperation and coordination, the Jordan News
Agency, Petra, reported.

Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Sami Al Saleh delivered on July 2 a written
letter to His Majesty King Abdullah from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin
Abdulaziz Al Saud, received by HRH Prince Feisal, who then was Regent.

The letter addressed bilateral relations and ways to enhance joint Arab
action to serve Arab and Muslim nations.

On July 7, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour met with Saudi Foreign Minister
Adel Al Jubeir to discuss “bilateral ties and ways to strengthen them and
expand their horizons”.

The Saudi minister said his country is “keen on supporting Jordan”, noting
that Saudi economic sectors are advised to “invest in the Kingdom”, which is
part of a Saudi-led coalition supporting the embattled legitimate government
in Yemen.


+++SOURCE:Jordan Times 27July ’16:”Kingdom protests Israel airport at UN
agency”,by JT

SUBJECT:Jordan protests Israel airport

QUOTE:”grounds that facility jeopardizes the Kingdom’s airspace safety”

FULL TEXT:AMMAN — Jordan has filed a motion with an international agency
against Israeli plans to build an airport in a border area, on grounds that
the facility jeopardizes the Kingdom’s airspace safety, a senior official
said.

Captain Gabriel Sivzattian, chief commissioner of the Civil Aviation
Regulatory Commission (CARC), said on Sunday that the Transport Ministry,
represented by CARC, addressed the International Civil Aviation Organisation
(ICAO) to explain the Jordanian position in rejecting the establishment of
the planned Timna Israeli Airport to the north of Aqaba, 360km south Amman.

The setting up of the Timna airport near the King Hussein International
Airport is in violation of the 1944 Chicago Convention on International
Civil Aviation and breaches public safety requirements that should be
observed in the event of designing plans for a new airport, the officials
told ICAO.

Jordan has said that the sovereignty of its skies will be violated when
aircraft approach the proposed airport for landing, Sivzattian pointed out.

The Kingdom is also concerned about jeopardising the safety of planes at the
King Hussein International Airport, which is also used by three aviation
academies for pilot training, he added.

In response, ICAO, which is a UN agency, contacted the Israeli side to
discuss the question of the Timna airport, Sivzattian said, pointing out
that the Jordanian side has the choice to agree with the ICAO on providing
expert technicians to study the Jordanian objection and to look into Timna’s
impact on air traffic safety.

Despite the Jordanian objection, Israel is still building the airport,
prompting the country to seek international intervention, Sivzattian noted.
===================
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA