Riyadh prodding for talks with Hezbollah - reports

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen Net
29 Apr 2023 19:53
4 Shares

According to Al-Akhbar Lebanese newspaper, an unnamed European government had communicated Riyadh's interest in starting talks with Hezbollah mediated through a third party.

Hezbollah supporters,2019

In the recent meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian and Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, dialogue between Riyadh and the Lebanese party was discussed, according to a report by the Al-Akhbar newspaper.

According to Al-Akhbar, an unnamed European government had communicated Riyadh's interest in starting talks with Hezbollah mediated through a third party.

This follows consistently with Saudi Arabia's recent trend of making amends with regional rivals. After the rapprochement with Iran, the normalization initiative with Syria and peace talks with Yemen, Lebanon seems to be next on the list.

Two weeks ago, Alireza Enayati, the Director General of Iran's Foreign Ministry Office for Gulf Affairs, confirmed that Saudi and Iranian authorities are consulting and cooperating to pave the way for the reopening of their diplomatic missions.

Enayati told IRNA that Iran is currently hosting a Saudi delegation, pointing out that the Saudi diplomats visited Tehran and then headed to the city of Mashhad to inspect the Kingdom's consulate in the city.

"The restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries has already been declared, and we are seeking to pave the way for making the diplomatic missions back on track," Enayati said.

He expressed hope that the Saudi embassy and consulate would be reopened in Iran before May 9, adding that "we try to reopen the diplomatic missions in Iran before the important Islamic ritual in order to facilitate issues concerning the Iranian pilgrims."