Ahmadinejad, Abdullah pledge to fight the spread of sectarian strife

Above: Ahmadinejad and Abdullah meeting in Riyadh. Though Saudi official reports focused on ending regional sectarian strife, Iran's official reports quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that "Both Iran and Saudi Arabia are aware of the enemies' conspiracies, and while condemning these conspiracies, we invite all Muslims to be aware of the enemies' plans with wisdom," and further, "About the Palestinian and Iraqi issues, we had discussions in detail. In many cases, we had a common point of view. Both countries oppose the enemies' control over the Islamic region."

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Following their first official talks in Saudi Arabia, the Iranian and Saudi leaders on Saturday pledged to fight the spread of sectarian strife in the Middle East, which they said was the biggest danger facing the region.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and King Abdullah also stressed the importance of maintaining Palestinian unity and bringing security to Iraq, the official Saudi Press Agency said.

The agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying he supported Saudi efforts to calm the situation in Lebanon and end its political crisis. Iran supports Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group, which is trying to topple the U.S.- and Saudi-backed government.

The talks between the two leaders have been touted as a possible means to defuse sectarian tensions in Iraq and Lebanon, and prevent Iran from sliding further into isolation.

"The two leaders asserted that the greatest danger threatening the Muslim nation at the present time is the attempt to spread strife between Sunni and Shiite Muslims and that efforts should be exerted to stop such attempts and close ranks," the Saudi Press Agency said.

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