Iranian, Arab analysts view Saudi foreign minister's Iraq, Iran statements.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Sa'ud al-Faysal's statements that the US policies have allowed Iran to encourage sectarian sedition in Iraq were discussed on Qatari Al-Jazeera satellite TV's "Behind the news" programme at 1835 gmt on 21 September. The guests of the programme were Abd-al-Bari Atwan, chief editor of the London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper, via satellite from London; Najaf Ali Merza'i, cultural adviser at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, via telephone from Qom; and Dr Liqa Makki, political analyst, in the Doha studio. The programme was moderated by Layla al-Shayib in the Doha studio.

"Pro-Iranian" Iraqi leaders

Al-Shayib begins by asking Abd-al-Bari Atwan for the reason that made Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Sa'ud al-Faysal make these statements, considered by many as "fiery statements." Atwan says: "I am surprised at these statements for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or specifically the Saudi government, was the one that supported the US policy in Iraq and learned about the decision to go to war against Iraq before US Secretary of State Colin Powell learned about this decision. It was also the one that opened its bases in Tabuk for the US forces to use as a springboard for the occupation of Baghdad. If the US policy in Iraq is a failure, leads to the dismemberment of Iraq, creates a sectarian conflict in it and hands it over to Iran, then the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the other Gulf countries and Egypt are responsible for all the developments that have taken place in Iraq because they supported the US plan from the beginning."

Atwan adds: "If we look at the developments in Iraq, we find that Iran has scored the two most important strategic gains so far. It exploited the United States to …