Rep. Boustany Tells Alhurra Saudis Should Not Be Upset About U.S.-Iran Relations
In an interview with Alhurra Congressional Correspondent Rana Abtar, Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) stated that there has been a diplomatic opening between the U.S. and Iran’s new president and that the Saudi Arabian government shouldn’t be concerned.
“I don’t think the Saudis should be upset about that. Now maybe they look at the U.S. and consider us being naïve for dealing with the Iranians at this point. But we’ve seen policy over 30 years that has led to this point, [to] this hostile relationship. I think we have to look at the diplomatic opportunity, trust and verify. But we ought to pursue it and see where it takes us.”
He also said that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia need to work together to get a peaceful solution in Syria, stating, “the President and Sec. Kerry need to, first of all, have an open, honest discussion with the Saudi leadership about U.S. objectives and where we share them with the Saudis. And to get to some sort of agreement on how we go forward, because I don’t think the situation in Syria can be solved without the involvement of the Saudis working closely with the United States.” He went on to say that he believes a diplomatic approach is the best option and that the U.S. needs to be very much engaged in seeing a peaceful outcome in Syria.
During the interview Rep. Boustany also added that there is a great concern regarding the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East. The crisis is especially hard on Syria’s neighbors, putting additional stress on those countries taking in Syrian refuges and dealing with the threat of spillover violence, “especially since you have major proxies involved in (Syria).”