Foreign Minister gives interview to Le Figaro newspaper
Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, gave an interview to the French newspaper Le Figaro. The following is the text of the interview:
Q: You received Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister. Is this in the name of your mediation based position in the war?
“We are neutral, even though we voted for the UN General Assembly resolution condemning the war. This war is taking place in Europe, which undoubtedly means a European solution is needed. We are counting on the ability of European leaders and others to find a solution because the posture “You are with us or against us” will not solve the problem. There has to be space for diplomatic engagement.”
Q: Are you telling the Russians that they made a mistake?
“No, we don't say that, otherwise we would be stuck in a “blame game” that doesn't allow for progress towards the end of this war. Mistakes were made, on both sides. There was undoubtedly a misjudgement of the situation, a disconnection from reality and a lack of understanding that led to this war.”
Q: The United States and the European Union are imposing sanctions on Russia, will you implement them?
“We are a small country, affected by war. We really don't want to be dragged into this kind of process. Show me a country where sanctions have worked! We are spending our time trying to find a solution. We don't want to make the situation still more complex.”
Q: Can you confirm secret negotiations in Oman between Iranians and Americans on nuclear issues, as was the case in 2013?
“I really can't confirm this. We are always happy to help. I am hopeful that we can achieve a new dynamic to reach an agreement. It is in the interest of our region and the world. In the negotiations, there are still contentious issues to be resolved. I really hope that the US administration will be able to conclude [an agreement] with the administration of Iranian President Raissi.”
Q: Do you feel that the US is withdrawing from the Middle East?
“I don't think the US is pulling out. But there is a realignment of its posture, because there are urgent priorities everywhere. In these conditions, how could the Americans be deployed? What is certain is that countries have developed their own intervention capabilities. Faced with this new situation, the question is how can these actors be complementary in the Middle East?”
Q: Will you join the normalisation agreements with Israel?
“We have always supported Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. In 30 years, we have hosted three Israeli Prime Ministers, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Benyamin Netanyahu. We were the first Gulf State to support Israeli-Palestinian peace from the Camp David Accords in 1979 onwards.
“In 2020, we supported the choice of our neighbours, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, to sign normalisation agreements with Israel. But we favour initiatives that include the Palestinian voice. A final, permanent and just settlement of the Palestinian question can only be achieved on the basis of two states, Israel and a Palestinian state. For the Abraham Accords to be successful, you must include the Palestinian voice, which is missing from these agreements. Economic peace alone will not work. The Israelis in the past have tried it, it didn't work.”
This is an unofficial English translation of the original Arabic text. To view the official Arabic text, click here.