Saudi defends Iran links ahead of Bush visit

By Andrew Hammond

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it was determined to maintain good relations with Iran despite U.S. President George W. Bush's efforts to rally Gulf Arab allies to contain the Islamic Republic.

Bush arrived in Israel on Wednesday at the start of a regional tour that will bring him to Gulf Arab countries including Saudi Arabia next week.

Bush who hopes to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, has said he would try to enlist Arab support for containing Iran, a goal underscored by a confrontation between American and Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz in the weekend.

"We'll listen to everything the president says. He can raise any issue he likes. We're a neighbour to Iran in the Gulf, which is a small area, so we're keen for harmony and peace among countries in the area," Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told a news conference.

"We have relations with Iran and we talk with them, and if we felt any danger we have relations that allow us to talk about it. So we welcome any issue the president (Bush) raises and we will discuss them from our point of view."

Although Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states share U.S. concerns about Iranian political and military power, they are increasingly relying on their own diplomacy to talk directly with Tehran.

Saudi Arabia invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the Muslims' pilgrimage in Mecca in December and Qatar invited Ahmadinejad to a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) last month.

The GCC is a loose political and economic alliance comprising Iran's six Gulf Arab neighbours, all U.S. allies.