RIYADH: Prince Turki Bin Muhammad Bin Saud Al-Kabir, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Relations, has said that fears over Iran's development of nuclear facilities have legitimate grounds given the proximity of the Bushehr reactor to Gulf waters and its site on the “earthquake belt”. Speaking at a symposium in Riyadh Sunday on international relations and the Kingdom's foreign policies, Prince Turki said that “most drinking water in the Kingdom and the Gulf comes from desalination plants on the banks of the Gulf” and that fears of an accident or leak in that area was cause for “legitimate concern”. “Experts say that the currents in the Gulf move from Iran to the other Gulf countries,” Prince Turki told the symposium, a Janadriya Festival-related event. “The effect could also spread to other regions of the world as the site is in the middle of the inhabited world and the Strait of Hormuz is an important global passage for maritime traffic.” He said that foremost in the foreign policies of Saudi Arabia are the interests, security and stability of its people, as well as the development of their economic capabilities for a “comprehensive renaissance” for advancement and prosperity. Also of priority, he said, is the “defense of the interests of the Arab and Islamic Ummah and their just causes and their historic, cultural and humanitarian foundations”. He said that the Kingdom's policies also seek to take responsibility along with the international community in ensuring international security and stability in accordance with regional and international agreements and law. “Our policy is to not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and not permit others to interfere in ours,” he said. On the situation in Libya, he said that Saudi Arabia backs any humanitarian support for the rebels as well as the decisions issued by the GCC, the Arab League and the UN. “The Kingdom does not, however, employ its forces to kill any Arab or Muslim whoever they are,” he said. He described Iranian interference in the Arab region as based on sectarianism and as “exploiting current events”.
