Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Premier, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, said Israel should withdraw from more occupied Arab lands after Gaza, indicating there can be no change in the collective Arab stand on Israel unless the occupation ends.
In an interview with the Associated Press, he said Arabs have reiterated their commitment to a just and lasting peace through the Arab peace plan, which Saudi Arabia initiated and Arab leaders adopted in 2002.
"We have followed the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza very closely," he said. "This withdrawal should be followed by further withdrawals from the Palestinian and Arab occupied territories since 1967, and lead to the realization of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital."
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who was Saudi Arabia's crown prince then, proposed a peace plan that was adopted by an Arab summit in Beirut, Lebanon, in 2002.
The plan calls for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the West Bank and traditionally Arab east Jerusalem, which would all be part of an independent Palestinian state. The Arabs also demand Israel give up the Golan Heights, which it captured from Syria.
In return for Israel surrendering the territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war, Arab states have said they will offer the Jewish state normal relations and peace.
On the issue of UN reform, the Crown Prince expressed support for reforming the Security Council, expanding its membership and improving its effectiveness to be able to preserve international peace and security.
On Iraq, he expressed hope that the country will be able to overcome its differences. He stressed Iraq's links to the Arab world.
"The most important thing is Iraq's unity and Arab identity, as well as the reservation of its sovereignty, stability and territorial integrity and guaranteed rights for all Iraqis, regardless of sect or political affiliation," he said.
On the issue of fighting terrorism, the Crown Prince stressed that failure to reach an internationally agreed definition of terrorism should not prevent unity by the international community to fight terrorism.
On dealing with the phenomenon of extremism, he said dealing with it should not be confined to the mere security aspect of it, but should also include an intellectual approach.
