Iran's chargé d'affaires summoned Saudi Gazette report MANAMA – The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Tuesday the Iranian chargé d'affaires to protest against the statements made by Ali Larijani, Chairman of the Iranian Shoura Council, and lawmaker from Zahedan Hossein Ali Shahriari. The Undersecretary of the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed over a protest memo in this connection to Ambassador Abdullah Abdullatif Abdullah. “These statements represent a flagrant interference in internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and a gross violation of its sovereignty and independence, which constitute a completely unacceptable conduct,” the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Such statements are in obvious violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law that govern the relations among states. Such statements also contravene the objectives and principles of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). We urge the Islamic Republic of Iran to promptly comply with international norms and laws that oblige it to respect the principles of good neighborliness and to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of other states,” the ministry said. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to desist from making such damaging statements and take immediate steps to prevent its recurrence. “Such statements are detrimental to the principles of good neighborliness, and eventually undermine the security and stability of the region as a whole,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added. The Bahraini Shoura Council also condemned the statements made against Bahrain by Larijani and Ali Shahriari. The Shoura Council expressed its strong objection to such irresponsible statements that instigate division and sectarianism. Such acts are contradictory to bilateral relations existing between GCC countries and Iran, the Council said in a statement. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said Monday that “Iran has nothing to do with what happens between the two countries, even if it develops into a unity.” He was speaking at the end of a Gulf Cooperation Council summit at which leaders discussed plans to turn the bloc into a union, starting with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Prince Saud said that “the Iranian threat is not accepted. Iran has nothing to do with what happens between the two countries, even if it develops into a unity.” __
