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Article: The best of buddies: Iran and Saudi Arabia.(improving relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- April 4, 1998
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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TEHRAN
KING FAHD of Saudi Arabia used to be demonised by Iran for his ties with America, for bankrolling Saddam Hussein's war against Iran and for the treatment of Iranians making the haj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. In 1987, after several hundred Iranian pilgrims were killed in clashes with Saudi security forces, Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of Iran's Islamic revolution, said that he might one day forgive Saddam, but never King Fahd. Khomeini's successors, however, appear to be more indulgent.
Instead of accusing their neighbour of harbouring a corrupt and Americanised form of Islam, Iran's leaders now call Saudi Arabia an important pillar of the Muslim ...