Saudi envoy in a spot over ‘undiplomatic’ kiss

Dubai: The Saudi ambassador to Iran has become embroiled in controversy over exchanging kisses on the forehead with an Iranian former president.

The warm greetings between Ambassador Abdul Rahman Bin Garman Al Shahri and ex-President Hashimi Rafsanjani were caught on camera and prominently displayed in Iranian media and social networks, generating a wide spectrum of comments that highlighted the “monumental” moment.

Rafsanjani, currently the chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council, received the ambassador on Monday in his office in Tehran.

At the meeting, Al Shahri reportedly “conveyed the special greetings of the Saudi Arabian king and crown prince to Rafsanjani and re-extended the invitation of the Saudi king to pay a visit to Saudi Arabia.”

According to reports from Tehran, Rafsanjani called for the development of relations between Tehran and Riyadh in all areas.

“The development of bilateral relations at all levels will serve the interests of the two countries, and encourage other Islamic countries to improve relations among them,” Rafsanjani said.

However, Saudi bloggers were focused more on the meeting picture “feted by the Iranian media” and requested the ambassador to explain the reasons for the warm greetings that clashed with conventional diplomatic attitudes, asking for his removal from the Iranian capital.

The lack of comments by the ambassador on the extraordinary greeting has prompted several Saudis to argue that the picture was not genuine and that the exchange of kisses was an edited photography work, Saudi news site Ajil reported.

Abu Rami, a Saudi blogger, said that the picture had been doctored, insisting that the Iranians had resorted to Photoshop in the past “to alter reality on the ground.”

“It is fake and a close scrutiny reveals that it is not genuine,” he said,

However, other online users rejected the claims and insisted that the picture had not been touched and that the two men did exchange kisses in the Middle Eastern tradition, regardless of their political status.

Other bloggers focused on the gesture by the Saudi diplomat and called for his recall from the Iranian capital.

“He did kiss Rafsanjani’s forehead and even though it was a personal decision and attitude, he should be recalled for he should be held accountable because an ambassador represents a country and a people, not himself,” Al Shamali, another blogger, posted.

In his online comments, Amer said that the controversy should be ended without hesitation or delay.

“All we need is a statement from the foreign ministry or the ambassador himself,” he posted. “The kiss is detrimental to the prestige of the Saudi diplomacy because never since the foreign ministry was established has a Saudi diplomat kissed a foreign leader or an official figure on his forehead. This kiss should mean the end of the ambassador’s tenure in Iran.”

However, some bloggers said that the whole issue had been blown out of proportion, explaining that the warm greetings were part of the “richly humane Islamic traditions.”

“We have been brought up on the significance of showing respect to all, especially to older people,” Abu Hammad, a blogger, said. “There is nothing wrong with kissing on the forehead to show respect.”

Abu Qahtat said that the picture showed a remarkable aspect of the Arab and Muslim world of respect.

“A young man kissing an older man on his forehead is a perfect image of our positive values to consolidate respect,” he posted.

Gulf News Report

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