Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, held talks with the President of Yemen Ali Abdullah Salih, which were attended by a number of ministers and advisors of the two sides.
A joint statement issued at the end of the Yemeni President’s visit to Riyadh, 17-18 February, said that the Kingdom and Yemen discussed the means of enhancing relations in political, economic and security fields. They also reviewed recent developments in the region, particularly the situation in Iraq and Palestinian occupied territories. They discussed cooperation to promote Arab solidarity via the Arab League and in accordance with initiatives issued by the two countries and by other Arab countries.
The two countries stressed their keenness to advance cooperation and partnership in all arenas to achieve the joint interests of the countries and their peoples, to implement the Jeddah Treaty on Border Demarcation, signed in June 2000, and the security cooperation agreement for the protection of their security and stability. The two sides affirmed that joint responsibility for security and stability should be shouldered by Saudi and Yemeni security bodies in cooperation.
Both countries fully agreed on cooperation to achieve the security of Saudi-Yemeni borders, with joint security patrols operating along the border, the establishment of security monitoring posts, the assignment of outlets for grazing, and maintenance of joint security arrangements in areas susceptible to infiltration and smuggling.
The two sides re-affirmed their denunciation of all forms of terrorism, stressing the enhancement of security cooperation and the unification of all efforts to eradicate terrorist activities.
They emphasized the need to protect the unity and independence of Iraq, by ending the occupation and establishing a representative, Iraqi government.
The two countries stressed their commitment to the Arab Middle East peace initiative, submitted by Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and adopted by Beirut Arab Summit, saying that the initiative is the ideal method to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region and to enable the Palestinian people to establish an independent state on their national land, with Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital.
They reiterated their call for the United Nations and the Quartet Committee to implement the Road Map, take steps to protect the Palestinian people and to remove the racial segregation wall.
They emphasized the need to strengthen the Arab League and develop its agencies, and urged the forthcoming Arab Summit in Tunisia to take the required steps to do so. They called for boosting Arab security and military agreements and enhancing economic integration.
Source: SPA
