The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia follows with profound concern the developments of the situations in the occupied Palestinian territories in the aftermath of Israel’s decision to send President of the Palestinian National Authority, Yasser Arafat, into exile.
The Kingdom’s Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, said in his weekly press briefing that the Kingdom regards Israel’s decision as a dangerous development in its continual aggressive policy against the Palestinian people, and a flagrant violation of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy aimed at achieving peace in the region.
Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, contacted U.S. Administration immediately after Israel announced its decision, warning of the danger of this step, which will inevitably lead to the deterioration of achievements towards the peace process.
Prince Saud said that the provocative Israeli measure dealt the peace process and efforts of the Quartet Committee a serious blow, which could result in termination of efforts towards peace. He said that the Kingdom joins the international community in denouncing this decision, and urges the international community, particularly the Quartet Committee, to take prompt action against such aggressive Israeli policies aimed at derailing the peace process and desecrating the hope of the Palestinian people.
Regarding the situation in Iraq, Prince Saud said that all members of the Arab League are keen to preserve the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. He expressed his hope that cooperation between the United Nations, the Arab League, and Iraq’s interim government would boost efforts to bring about stability in Iraq, with the establishment of an Iraqi constitutional administration.
Answering questions from the floor, Prince Saud said that Crown Prince Abdullah’s recent state visit to Russia was planned for a long time, and did not take place after tension in Saudi-U.S. relations, as part of efforts by the Kingdom to establish new alliances, which has been falsely reported in the press. Price Saud stressed mutual interests between the two countries.
Responding to questions on the attempted attack by Libyan nationals on Prince Saud during his trip to Egypt, Prince Saud said that the issue is currently under investigation by Egyptian authorities, and that the incident represented an aggression against Egypt as well as the Kingdom.
Prince Saud said the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry has nothing to hide from the pubic or the press, with regard to allegations of clandestine support for terrorist organizations. He said that the Kingdom’s history in fighting terrorism is deep-rooted, and transparent. The Kingdom fights terrorism as part of its policy to promote international peace and security, he said.
The Foreign Minister denied allegations that Arab countries have not seriously endeavoured to coerce Israel to allow an international inspection of its nuclear resources. He stressed that Arab countries have spared no effort in the international arena to call for inspectors to make the Middle East a nuclear weapon-free region.
When asked about Israel’s attempts to interfere in the domestic affairs of Iraq, and join efforts to rebuild the devastated country, Prince Saud said that Iraq is currently a temporary member of the Arab League Council, and that the issue of Israeli involvement falls under the responsibility of Iraq’s interim government.
The Foreign Minister was asked whether the Kingdom is prepared to accredit an Iraqi diplomatic representative to the Kingdom. He denied that the Kingdom has received such a request, and explained that recognition of a foreign government could take place only when that government enjoys full sovereignty on its territory.
Prince Saud expressed his hope that the United Nations would be given pivotal role in Iraq, and that the Security Council will discuss the real needs of the Iraqi people.
He said that he hopes that the ‘road map’ could be expanded to include Syrian and Lebanese issues, in order to achieve a comprehensive peace settlement for the region.
Source: SPA
