Kerry arrived in Riyadh late on Wednesday from Montreux,
Switzerland, where he said he had made progress in talks with
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
China, one of the six nations involved in the Iran negotiations,
which aim to establish a framework accord by late March, said on
Thursday an agreement might be at hand.
"We do think that it's a last stage and hopefully we could reach an
agreement," said Wang Qun, director general of the arms control
department of China's Foreign Ministry.
Gulf countries, like Israel and many Western states, fear that Iran
is using its atomic program to develop nuclear weapons capability,
something Tehran denies.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Mar/05/images/ads/current/pest_control_bch_092414.png) Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia regards Shi'ite Iran as its main regional
rival and the two countries back opposing sides in wars and
political struggles in Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, Lebanon and Yemen,
often along sectarian lines.
As such, Saudi Arabia and its allies worry that the mooted atomic
accord will not stop Iran from gaining the bomb. They are also
concerned that it would lift international pressure on Tehran and
give it more room to intervene in regional issues.
The Baghdad government, which is close to Iran, said on Thursday it
believed the nuclear negotiations would prove fruitful.
"We believe these (talks) will lead to a peaceful solution and will
resolve controversial points," Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim
al-Jaafari told a U.N.-sponsored conference in Geneva.
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Kerry was driven to Diriyah on the outskirts of Riyadh to meet King
Salman, who became monarch in January. He is also scheduled to meet
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who is the Interior Minister
and heads Riyadh's security policy.
The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United
Arab Emirates and Oman.
Kerry also held a separate meeting at the start of the day with
Oman's Foreign Minister Yusef bin Alawi bin Abdullah. Muscat helped
facilitate months of secret talks between Iran and the United States
in 2013 that led to the push for a deal.
(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by
Crispian Balmer)
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