Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian at the start of Ramadan. AFP/ Reuters
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian at the start of Ramadan. AFP/ Reuters
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian at the start of Ramadan. AFP/ Reuters
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian at the start of Ramadan. AFP/ Reuters

Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers agree to meet soon in Ramadan phone call


Amr Mostafa
  • English
  • Arabic

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian have agreed to meet “soon” to implement a landmark deal restoring ties, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Prince Faisal called Mr Amir Abdollahian and the pair “exchanged congratulations on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan”, the ministry said.

The top diplomats “agreed to hold a bilateral meeting soon in order to pave the way for the reopening of embassies and consulates between the two countries”, it said.

Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in 2016 after protesters attacked the Saudi embassy and consulate following the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric in the kingdom.

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached an agreement in Beijing to resume diplomatic relations.

Riyadh and Tehran will reopen embassies and consulates within the next two months, under the deal brokered by China.

The agreement to resume ties comes after two years of backroom talks.

Dialogue began in early 2021 in Baghdad, the only publicly confirmed venue for the negotiations until the agreement to resume ties was announced in Beijing.

Iraq and Oman were thanked for their roles in helping reach the deal.

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Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)

2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)

2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)

2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)

2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)

2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)

2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)

2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)

 

'The Ice Road'

Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne

2/5

Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species

Camelpox

Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.

Falconpox

Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.

Houbarapox

Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.

The specs

Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 575bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: Dh554,000

On sale: now

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Racecard
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England Test squad

Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.

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Updated: March 23, 2023, 5:17 AM