Prince Dr Turki bin Mohammad bin Saud Al-Kabir, the Saudi Under Secretary and Acting Deputy Minister for Political Affairs affirmed on Tuesday that the Arab-Israeli conflict remains an obstacle to achieving the desired developmental goals.
"Saudi Arabia does not spare an effort to help advance a comprehensive, just and lasting solution based on the initiative of Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz that was adopted as an Arab initiative by the 14th Arab summit held in Beirut. The settlement must also be based on the road map, the withdrawal from occupied territories according to UN resolutions and the principle of land for peace," he said in an address, on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on the second day of the three-day session at the Asia-Middle East dialogue in Singapore.
"During his recent meeting with Senior Goh Chok Tong, Crown Prince Abdullah pointed out that Arabs and Muslims desire no more than justice and equality and he emphasized the need for building trust and eliminating hatred to arrive at peaceful co-existence for Arabs and Israelis," he added.
"We are witnessing a new dawn of Asian-Middle East cooperation. Ties between countries of both regions are becoming stronger. Trade over last years has expanded by more than three times and tourism is flourishing. Countries of the Middle East value the relationship with the friendly Asian countries. The relations between the two regions have always been warm and they go far beyond material and immediate interests as they reflect broader historical, cultural and geographical depth. It is through this recognition in both Asia and the Middle East, that these relationships can be strengthened," Prince Turk bin Mohammad noted.
"We fully recognize the importance of dialogue and interaction between our countries both at the governmental level, as well as at the personal level and the valuable contribution they make to improved relations, better understanding, and mutual benefits. Many Asian and Middle East economies are among the fastest growing in the world and that presents more opportunities for cooperation between the two regions.
"Any tension or instability in any region of the world nowadays, reflects negatively on other regions and hinders development," Prince Turk bin Mohammad said.
"The Kingdom's keenness on combating terrorism was manifested in a call to convene an international conference for combating terrorism, which was held in Riyadh on 5th to 8th February 2005, which was patronized by Crown Prince Abdullah. The conference came as an international opportunity for dialogue and exchanging views. The Riyadh declaration
emphasized the importance of implementing the UN resolutions in this regard and called for full cooperation of the international community in this global fight through a comprehensive strategy. The declaration stressed that terrorism should not be linked to any religion, ethnic background or geographical location. The conference adopted Crown Prince Abdullah's initiative to establish an international center to combat terrorism and the final report with the full recommendations was submitted to the UN. We look forward to the perusal of these recommendations by the UN," Prince Turki bin Mohammad said.
Highlighting more conservative nature of Asian and Middle East societies and stressing that their social reform programs should reflect these traditions and heritage values, Prince Turki bin Mohammad said: "Respect for human rights constitutes the main pillar of the policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the basic system of its governance.
"In order to achieve this objective, the Kingdom has issued the basic system of governance and started the national dialogue project between all groups of Saudi society. The number of members of the Shoura (Consultative) Council has increased and its authority has expanded to include reviewing of laws and regulations. The Kingdom has also started the process of elections for the Municipal Council and the Saudi citizen is now eligible to participate in the decisions that concern his life," he added.
Highlighting Saudi Arabia's responsible role in the international oil market, Prince Turki bin Mohammad said: "My country has always committed to fulfill its obligations in relation to petroleum market stability for the purpose of guaranteeing the continuation of international economic growth. And also my country initiated the establishment of energy forum and hosting its General Secretariat in Riyadh so as to become a platform to discuss ways and opportunities for cooperation between consumer and producing countries."
Referring to painful security incidents and bloody conflicts around the world, he said: "The world today is more in need of united international efforts and hard work so as to deepen concepts of dialogue and increase levels of understanding, acquaintance and interaction between nations and civilizations and introducing culture of peace which evokes respect of one human being for another and thereby augmenting the principles of justice, tolerance and equality and the rejection of violence, injustice and discrimination."
