RIYADH, Match 3: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that ‘all countries’ in the Gulf region viewed as ‘a matter of concern’ the conference held in Islamabad last Sunday, calling for ‘explicit answers’ about ‘our apprehensions’.

Mr Ahmadinejad was addressing a press conference in Tehran hours before leaving for Riyadh.

The Iranian president said: “We will certainly follow up the issue (Islamabad conference) to find out details and goals of the conference.”

Pakistan hosted a meeting of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia and Malaysia last Sunday to explore ways for defusing tensions over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Mr Ahmadinejad arrived in Riyadh on Saturday evening. The Saudi King hosted a dinner for the Iranian leader, whom he greeted earlier at an airbase in Riyadh in a red-carpet but brief ceremony.

There are expectations in the Saudi capital that the visit would help resolve differences over Iraq and Lebanon.

Agencies add: Before leaving Tehran, Mr Ahmadinejad said he would discuss how Iran and Saudi Arabia could work together to reduce tensions.

“We will discuss with King Abdullah the joint work that we have to carry out in the Islamic world and the region,” he told reporters.