Alwaght- Iraq and Syria have rejected Saudi-backed anti-Iran statements issued during Arab and Islamic summits in the Holy city of Mecca.
Iraq has opposed the final statement of an emergency meeting in Saudi Arabia, which condemned what it called Iran's "interference" in countries of the Middle East region.
A statement by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council and the communiqué issued after a wider summit both underlined the rights of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to defend themselves against Tehran.
The statements mainly cited concerns about the recent sabotage attacks against several ships off the UAE.
Both Saudi and Emirati officials have blamed the mysterious "sabotage" attacks on Iran while Iran denies any involvement.
"The absence of a firm deterrent stance against Iranian behavior is what led to the escalation we see today," King Salman told the two consecutive meetings late on Thursday night.
Iraq, however, which maintains close ties with neighboring Iran and has strong ties with Washington as well, objected to the communiqué, which required "non-interference in other countries" as a pre-condition for cooperation with Tehran.
Iraqi President Barham Salih asked the gathering to support his country's stability, arguing that rising tensions with Iran could cause war. He voiced hope that Iran's security would not be targeted.
The Mecca communiqué also said the Riyadh regime had all the rights to defend itself against retaliatory drone strikes by Yemen's Ansarullah fighters, after a number of drones flew hundreds of kilometers into Saudi Arabia and targeted two of the kingdom's oil pumping stations earlier this month.
The oil-rich kingdom also accused Tehran of ordering the drone strikes against its oil facilities. Iran has vehemently denied both charges.
Syria rejects OIC’s anti-Iran statement
Meanwhile, The Syrian government has rejected a final communiqué issued following the 14th summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Saudi city of Mecca, describing the presence of Iranian military advisors in the conflict-plagued Arab country as “legitimate and lawful.”
“Syria dismisses what was declared in the final statement of the emergency Arab summit in Saudi Arabia regarding the Iranian intervention in Syria’s affairs, and considers what is mentioned in this communiqué as an unacceptable interference in the Syrian domestic issues,” an unnamed source at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said on Friday.
The source added, “Syria reiterates that the Iranian presence is legitimate because it came at the request of the Syrian government and contributed to Syria's efforts in the fight against terrorism sponsored by some participants in the summit.”
“The summit was to condemn the interference of other countries in the Syrian crisis, which lacks legitimacy and is aimed at providing unlimited support to various terrorist groups and prolonging the Syrian conflict,” the source pointed out.
Iran has been in Syria on an advisory military capacity since the conflict erupted in the country in 2011. Russia joined the battle late in 2015. The two countries intervened in Syria at the official request of the Syrian government.
