Gulf countries throwing their weight around to stop Iran's non-existant nuclear weapons program

Gulf countries are seeking to play a new role in the race to stop Iran's nuclear programme by using their economic leverage to line up support for tough sanctions, Arab and European officials said yesterday.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will use the prospect of oil contracts, arms deals and work visas to persuade Russia and China, who have been resisting tougher UN sanctions, that their long-term strategic interests lie with them, not in Iran.

"China and Russia have so far not been presented with the right incentives. They have not been presented with a better substitute," said Sami al-Faraj, an adviser to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the main regional grouping.

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He listed China and Russia's interest in establishing free trade arrangements with the Gulf, Russia's desire to sell weapons, and China's anxiety to seal oil exploration agreements in the region, and to win visas in the Gulf for Chinese workers as among the principal levers that could be pulled to win support for UN sanctions. Saudi Arabia is reported to be on the verge of a deal to buy more than $2bn (£1.2bn) worth of Russian arms, in the wake of a bilateral military agreement signed last year.

The Saudi monarchy is not pursuing the deal primarily for military purposes, some officials speculated yesterday, but for diplomatic reasons, as an inducement to Russia not to sell advanced anti-aircraft missiles to Iran. For the same reason, Kuwait is also said to have agreed to reschedule Russian debt and Bahrain has opened talks to buy Russian jet fighters. The GCC as a whole is negotiating with China to issue up to a million work visas to absorb some of China's rising unemployment.

"Everyone has something to offer," Faraj said. "We need to go to work as a coalition in peace like we have done in war, if we are to prevent another war."

Arab countries have been alarmed by the spread of Iranian influence in Lebanon and in Gaza and are concerned that Iran might attempt to become the single dominant power in the Middle East. [wow they sound just like Israel hmm go figure - ed.]

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