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Sep 15, 2020
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Bahraini Ambassador To Russia Ahmed Al-Saati: We Will Reap The Fruits Of Peace With Israel; Mahmoud Abbas Should Calm Down; Iran Will Pay A Heavy Price If It Fails To Lean Towards Peace

#8299 | 03:12
Source: Russia Today TV (Russia)

Ahmed Al-Saati, Bahrain’s Ambassador to Russia, said in a September 15, 2020 interview on Russia Today TV that Bahrain and the Arab states will reap the fruits of peace from the upcoming peace agreement with Israel. He said that the Arabs have only lost martyrs in their wars with Israel, that peace may provide new opportunities, and that he expects that the Palestinians will "calm down" with time and reconsider their negative reaction to the Arab-Israeli peace initiatives. He said that PA President Mahmoud Abbas should "calm down a bit" and turn back towards Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE because they have supported the Palestinian cause for 70 years and can together find new ways to serve the cause. In addition, Ambassador Al-Saati said that Iran will pay a heavy price if it doesn’t lean towards peace in the coming future.

Ahmed Al-Saati: "Many projects will be implemented in the region, and we will reap the fruits of peace. We have tried all paths of confrontation, aggression, and wars, but never gained anything. We have not liberated any land but have lost many martyrs. Now there is another approach, one of knocking on the doors of peace, and taking advantage of the American momentum and support of this direction.

"At the economic workshop that was held in Bahrain, we hosted personalities from Palestine and from Israel, and businessmen from various places, and there are projects that will soon come to light. I excuse the Palestinian leadership for being a little hasty in responding. However, I expect that when everything calms down, they will rethink things and reopen their door.

"I advise President Mahmoud Abbas to calm down a bit, and turn back towards the Arab countries-especially Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE-because they have embraced the Palestinian cause for 70 years. Together we can find new ways to serve the Palestinian cause, and for the Palestinian people to benefit from this. However, the repeated rejection of all the proposed plans, including the Arab plan that was proposed years ago [1981] and was called the Prince Fahd [Eight Point] Peace Plan. That plan too was rejected by the Palestinians as well as by several Arab countries. Now [they] seek to revive the Arab peace initiative.

[...]

"I believe that if Iran does not lean towards peace during the next stage, it will pay a heavy price, because it no longer has any friends in the region. It has deployed its forces and interventions from Iraq to Syria, to Lebanon, and to Yemen, including daily interventions in the Gulf region. We are not afraid of Iran, of course. We rely on ourselves and on our brothers in the GCC, and we also have relationships with friends aboard. So there is no reason to fear for us, but we want Iran to understand this message.

"We are facing a new stage, and Iran needs to understand that it cannot run away from what is bound to happen. For more than 40 years, Iran has been deceitful, and refrained from coming up with a peace initiative towards the Gulf states. In the wake of this agreement [with Israel], which is not directed at any third party, but simply establishes bilateral relations between two countries. God willing, they will have positive effect on peace not only in Palestine but also in the Gulf region."

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