The Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, said in a news conference that Israeli-Indian defence cooperation would inflame the region, escalate the arms race, and damage the region’s interests by triggering instability. Prince Saud spoke at a joint news conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri in Islamabad.
Prince Saud and Kasuri said that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan would await a clear invitation from the Iraqi people before sending peacekeeping troops to Iraq, and that it is premature to speak about sending troops to Iraq until it is clear that the Iraqis want them.
Prince Saud criticised a recent arms deal between Israel and India, saying that the move threatens South Asia with instability. He said that the recent billion-dollar deal to supply India with Israeli airborne early warning radar systems could fuel an arms race in the region.
The Saudi Foreign Minister also criticised recent Israeli efforts to boost its security: “It is a country of four million people that believes its security extends from the Indus River to the Atlantic Ocean. What kind of nonsense is that? It is another element of instability and insecurity.”
Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Minister said, encourages the wise leadership of President General Pervez Musharraf to seek a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute with India. The Kingdom will do everything it can to promote a just settlement of the Kashmir dispute, since it represents a principal issue for conflict that threatens the region, Prince Saud said.
He added that the visit of Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz to Pakistan was a follow-up of discussions held at the OIC Summit in Malaysia. Prince Saud and Kasuri reiterated their confidence in the firm relations between their two countries, and the prospects for strengthening them in years to come.
Source: SPA
