Interview: China plays crucial role to restore Saudi-Iran diplomatic ties -- Croatian expert

ZAGREB, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to re-establish diplomatic relations could not have been reached without China's crucial role of mediation, said a Croatian political analyst on Monday.

"It is a success for China," Marinko Ogorec told Xinhua, adding that China, as a major country in the world, has both the political will and international prestige to help achieve such a success.

After years of open hostility, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed last week to restore diplomatic ties after talks facilitated by China -- a significant development for the two nations and a boon to the security and stability of the Middle East.

In a joint statement released with China on Friday, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to reopen their embassies and diplomatic missions within two months, hold talks between their foreign ministers on the arrangement of ambassadors' exchange, and explore ways to improve bilateral ties.

In contrast to the United States, who has played a role of suppressing one side and supporting the other in the Middle East, China has taken a different approach by promoting dialogue, peace and cooperation, said Ogorec.

China "enters negotiations with much more trust than the U.S." and thus is more effective, he said.

The United States has discredited itself in the so-called "Arab Spring," which "the U.S. was surely involved (in)," said Ogorec, adding that the uprisings didn't end "as they thought they would" and that the U.S. influence in the region has waned.

Ogorec said he believed that as the world heads to multi-polarity, China will play an even bigger role in the international stage in the future.

China's mediation role in restoring Saudi-Iran diplomatic ties "is a sign of China's even greater influence in the future," Ogorec said.

Expecting future negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, the Croatian analyst said China could also be an important mediator to ease the conflict.