Tehran, May 26, IRNA � Disagreements among Saudi authorities remain to be the main obstacle in negotiations between Tehran and Riyadh on sending Iranian pilgrims to the annual Hajj rituals, says Iran's Hajj official.


The Saudi officials are going to be responsible for sabotaging this year's Hajj pilgrimage, Saeed Ohadi Head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization told the Islamic Republic News Agency on Thursday.

The Iranian delegation went to Saudi Arabia upon an official invitation by the new Saudi Hajj minister,Ohadi said, dismissing claims made by certain Arab media suggesting that it was Iran initially asking for the Saudi side to engage in talks over the Hajj isssue.

He reiterated that the Iranian delegation insists that this round of talks has to focus on the previous agreements between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

One of the main issues discussed during the second round of talks on Thursday meeting was providing consular services for Iranian pilgrims, Ohadi said.

He said that the two sides have agreed on three issues so far.

The official also underlined the need for assuring security and dignity of the Iranian pilgrims.

The Saudi side has offered some new suggestions which are against the dignity of the Iranian pilgrims and have to be reconsidered by the Saudis in today talks, he said.

On offering consular services to the Iranian pilgrims, the Saudi negotiators have said that it is the Saudi foreign ministry that has to make the final decision on the issue, the official said.

Ohadi said that it seems there is not a serious resolve on the Saudi side to accept Iranian pilgrims for this year's Hajj pilgrimage.

Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati had said earlier that grounds are not prepared for the Iranian pilgrims to perform this year's annual Hajj rituals.

Blaming the Saudi officials for preventing the Iranian pilgrims from performing this year's Hajj rituals, Jannati said, 'We did whatever we could but it was the Saudis who sabotaged. Now the time is lost.'

Iran and Saudi Arabia broke off relations following Riyadh's brutal execution of a prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Baqer Nimr al-Nimr and the subsequent storming of two Saudi diplomatic sites in Iran by angry protesters.

By IRNA