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Gold/Mining/Energy : Canadian Oil & Gas Companies -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Doug who wrote (5295)	8/6/1998 12:12:00 AM
From: CIMA	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24922

* Iran and Kuwait As our long-time readers know, another story we have been closely tracking is the emerging anti-Iraq sentiment in the Persian Gulf region, driven by the impact of Iraqi crude oil production on collective efforts to raise crude prices, and exploited by an Iran eager to break out of its political isolation. Our newer readers can find an archive of our reports on this issue at stratfor.com. This week, while Iraq had its very public falling-out with UNSCOM weapons inspectors, Iran moved to further strengthen military ties with its Arab neighbors. Iranian Defense Minister Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, in an interview published this week in the London-based weekly "Al-Wasat," said that "our brothers in the region have realized that the Iranian navy poses no threat to them and that it can be used to defend the Arabs' and Muslims' rights." Shamkhani added that "The Islamic Republic of Iran considers its military force as part of the Muslim world's military might, and as such its forces pose no threat to Arab states." This offer comes on top of July 29 statements in the London-based newspaper "Al-Hayat" by Iran's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Reza Nouri, that "Iran's missile capabilities are at the disposal of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." Nuri continued "We believe that Iran's power is the kingdom's power, and the kingdom's power is Iran's power. Our relations with Saudi Arabia have reached a historical stage where we are complementing one another, and if we have a missile or non-missile capability, it is at the kingdom's disposal." On August 5, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami told visiting Saudi Prince Turki, son of Crown Prince Abdullah, that "all our resources are being deployed in the interest of peace and security" in the Gulf region. He said that Iran and Saudi Arabia could together play an "effective role in ensuring the region's security." Iranian-Saudi diplomatic efforts accelerated in the wake of the U.S. confrontation with Iraq in February, and have dealt, among other things, with forging an Arab-Persian NATO-like alliance to police the region, including dealing with situations like the one in Iraq. As Iran and Saudi Arabia appear to be nearing consensus on regional security issues, Kuwait has recently stepped up its anti-Iraqi rhetoric. On August 5, the Chief of Staff of the Kuwaiti army, General Ali Momen, was quoted in the Kuwaiti military magazine "Humat Al-Watan" as saying "the Kuwaiti army's defensive capacities will enable it to resist all Iraqi attacks." Kuwait now stands ready to confront Iraq, and Iran has offered its military might in the service of regional stability and security. All that apparently remains is for Saudi Arabia to accept the offer. ___________________________________________________ To receive free daily Global Intelligence Updates or Computer Security Alerts, sign up on the web at stratfor.com, or send your name, organization, position, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address to alert@stratfor.com ___________________________________________________ STRATFOR Systems, Inc. 3301 Northland Drive, Suite 500 Austin, TX 78731-4939 Phone: 512-454-3626 Fax: 512-454-1614 Internet: stratfor.com Email: info@stratfor.com