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Mullen: Iran Not Behind Mideast Protests
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 21 Feb 2011 13:03

DOHA, Qatar - Iran foments instability in the Middle East but is not behind popular protests in Bahrain and other countries in the region, top U.S. military officer, Adm. Mike Mullen, said Feb. 21 in Qatar.

"Iran, I still believe, is a country that continues to foment instability in the region, take advantage of every opportunity," said Mullen, who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But "from my perspective that has not been the principal focus of what happened in Egypt or what happened in Bahrain or any of these other countries," he said, referring to popular protests against various Middle East regimes.

"Those are by and large internal issues, as opposed to issues fomented by some external forces," Mullen said, although "there's always concerns in this region with Iran and certainly the U.S. has them as well as all the regional players."

Iran "was part of the discussions today with the Saudis," Mullen said.

Mullen, who began a Gulf tour Feb. 20 in Saudi Arabia, could travel to Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is headquartered, as part of his trip, people travelling with him said.

Protests in the tiny Gulf kingdom, which is ruled by a Sunni dynasty but has a Shiite majority, began on Feb. 14, and are still ongoing.

Seven demonstrators have been killed since the anti-regime protests began, according to an AFP tally based on relatives of victims and opposition officials.

However, the U.S. Navy has said the demonstrations have not disrupted American operations in the kingdom.

"As far as Fifth Fleet operations, no, the demonstrations have not had any impact here - we're continuing to conduct our regular business out here," a spokesman for the Fifth Fleet told AFP on Feb. 21.

In the Qatari capital Doha, Mullen met with Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and army chief of staff Gen. Hamad al-Attiyah.

Mullen is to also travel to the United Arab Emirates, Djibouti, possibly Bahrain, and then to Kuwait to participate in ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the liberation of the country from Iraqi occupation.
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