Austrian President Thomas Klestil said that the visit of Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard Crown Prince Abdullah to Vienna, which begins later today, would herald a new era in the distinguished relations between the two countries.
Crown Prince Abdullah will hold talks with Klestil on key international issues, including the situation in Palestine and Iraq. He will also hold talks with the Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schuessel. President Klestil has emphasized the need for resumption of Middle East peace talks and called for a greater and more effective role for the United Nations in Iraq. “I wholeheartedly welcome Crown Prince Abdullah to Austria. This is an important visit which we have all awaited,” Okaz newspaper quoted Klestil as saying on the eve of the Crown Prince’s visit. "There is no better way to boost contact and consultation than a direct meeting and the exchange of views on issues of mutual concern. Crown Prince Abdullah’s visit will provide a rare opportunity to hold talks on major international issues and on means of strengthening political and economic relations,” Klestil said.
The Austrian President said that he would discuss all issues with the Crown Prince, particularly developments in the Middle East. “As you know, the continuation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a matter of great concern and embarrassment to all of us. We hope that peace and stability will prevail in the region,” he noted.
Klestil highlighted the “excellent” relations between the two countries, and stressed the need further to enhance economic ties. “I believe that Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries have huge economic potential, and we would like to work with them as partners,” the President said. He said that Austria had always been deeply concerned about repercussions of the Middle East crisis and supported the Middle East ‘road map’ to peace. “We should not allow oppressive practices to destroy this peace process,” he said.
The Austrian President welcomed the efforts of Crown Prince Abdullah to find a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict. “What we can do now is encourage all parties to resume peace talks to prevent extremist forces from aborting the political process.”
Klestil also called for effective international efforts to root out terrorism. “We encourage dialogue between different cultures and demand a global system to confront poverty, hunger and injustice,” he said.
The Austrian President visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in October 2001 and held talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince Abdullah, other senior Saudi officials and prominent businessmen.
The Austrian media has said that Crown Prince Abdullah would be signing an agreement for economic, commercial, industrial and technical cooperation between the two countries.
Saudi Arabia and Austria have forged closer economic cooperation, with two-way trade exceeding SR1 billion annually. Vienna has extended its full support to the Kingdom’s membership of the World Trade Organization.
Source: SPA
